Digitize your Tool Box, Shop, Tool Room or Organization

with

TCMax
Asset Management Software for Aviation & Industry

Installation and Operating Instructions Version 5.6

By

Soaring Software
Solutions, Inc.
6103 S. Winding Way
Swanton, OH 43558
(419) 826-0444
www.soaringsoftware.com
Email: TCMax@soaringsoftware.com
Copyright 1999-2006 by Soaring Software Solutions, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of the contents of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form or by any means without the written permission of Soaring Software Solutions, Inc.

1
Updated March 8, 2006

2
SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT ...............................................................................9
Trademarks .................................................................................................................................. 12
Changes to this manual................................................................................................................ 12
Introduction........................................................................................................................... 13
Installation .................................................................................................................................... 13
Program Updates, new users skip this paragraph......................................................................................13
TCMax Software Installation.................................................................................................................13
Network Installations ................................................................................................................................14
Internet Explorer Version Required ..........................................................................................................14
Pocket PC installation of TCMaxMobile..................................................................................................14
The Computers Clock..............................................................................................................................16
Introduction.................................................................................................................................. 17
Warning Backup the Database Regularly ............................................................................ 17
Features......................................................................................................................................... 17
Parent-Child Relationships with tools........................................................................................ 19
Child Overdue or Missing Warnings ......................................................................................... 20
Setting Your Preferences the First Time you run TCMax ................................................ 20
Pocket PC TCMaxMobile user note:.......................................................................................... 21
General Requirements, General Req 2, General Req 3............................................................ 21
Printer names ............................................................................................................................................21
Check to require someone to be logged in. ...............................................................................................21
Check if a second person is required to check in tools .............................................................................22
Hide Employee Numbers on main screen.................................................................................................22
Warning lead time in days for Calibrations ..............................................................................................22
Shop code used to filter displays and reports............................................................................................22
Purchases as units rather than each check box..........................................................................................22
Show Physical Inventory menu option on main screen..........................................................................23
Log display is filtered by filters in Show Tools that are Out screen .........................................................23
Show Quick Turn @ Shift Change check box ..........................................................................................23
Vendor Names ..........................................................................................................................................24
New Tool Defaults....................................................................................................................................24
Default new tools to allow multiple issue with single scan ......................................................................24
Default that multiple tools can have the same barcode number................................................................24
Ask for Expected Return Date when entering Employee / Location......................................................24
Wave files ending with this number are used ...........................................................................................24
Comm port number for Serial Port Lock Mechanism...............................................................................24
Hide Cost for all tools on screen and in reports ........................................................................................25
Show Button and enable setting of default locations for individual employees .......................................25
Company Information & License Password.............................................................................. 26
ID Card and Tool Barcodes ........................................................................................................ 26
New Tool Barcode Numbers.....................................................................................................................27
Employee and Instruction Screen Captions ..............................................................................................28
Allow ID Cards and Tool barcodes to be the same length........................................................................28
Use these to base Employee vs. Tool on first character............................................................................28
Employee ID Card #1, Employee ID Card #2, etc. The Best Mode .........................................................28

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 How many characters are in your ID cards or tool barcodes?...................................................................29
Which mode do I use?...............................................................................................................................29
Tool Captions................................................................................................................................ 29
Label Setup ................................................................................................................................... 30
TCMax Operation ................................................................................................................. 32
Starting TCMax ........................................................................................................................... 32
Log in............................................................................................................................................. 32
Issuing Tools ................................................................................................................................. 33
Enter Employee Number...........................................................................................................................33
Enter Location...........................................................................................................................................33
Enter Tool Barcodes .................................................................................................................................34
Turning Tools In .......................................................................................................................... 35
New Tools / New Employees........................................................................................................ 36
Editing Tool or Employee information, when logging in is not required ............................... 36
Issue Identical Tools with same Barcode Number to Different Employees ............................ 37
Issue Multiple Tools with a Single Scan..................................................................................... 37
Expendable Items......................................................................................................................... 37
How do I start entering data? ..................................................................................................... 38
Deleting Demo Tools .................................................................................................................... 39
Types of Tools & Equipment, a detailed explanation - what boxes do I check? .................... 40
Tools that must have a separate barcode for each tool..............................................................................40
Tools that are expendable and issued one at a time ..................................................................................41
Tools that are expendable and issued in multiple quantities .....................................................................41
Tools or items that you have more than one of but dont require separate barcode..................................42
Tools or items that you have more than one of, dont require separate barcode, but employees can have
more than one............................................................................................................................................43
Tracking issued items issued for a long term............................................................................................43
Items in vehicles and performing their inventory .....................................................................................44
Tool Barcode Marking Ideas....................................................................................................... 44
Broken Tools, How to track them............................................................................................... 45
If the Option has been selected to Enter Expected Return Date from Preferences ............... 45
Certified Employees tab............................................................................................................................45
Warning Backup the Database Regularly ............................................................................ 46
Menu Items ................................................................................................................................... 47
Exit............................................................................................................................................................47
Maintenance .........................................................................................................................................47
Import / Export..........................................................................................................................................51
Synchronize Pocket PC.............................................................................................................................53
Tool Quick Turn @ Shift Change.............................................................................................................53
Show Tools that are out .......................................................................................................................54
Performing a physical inventory of your tools or other assets............................................55
Physical Inventory, two methods ..............................................................................................................55
The Physical Inventory mode, simple example .........................................................................................56

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Reports:.................................................................................................................................. 57
Tool Inventory with Separate Page per Location......................................................................................58
Tools issued to a particular employee .......................................................................................................58
Tools issued to a particular location..........................................................................................................58
TMDE Status .......................................................................................................................................58
CACRL List..............................................................................................................................................59
History of issue/turn-in .............................................................................................................................59
History of issue/turn-in by location...........................................................................................................59
Inspection Report ......................................................................................................................................59
Broken Tool Report and Warranty Tool Report .......................................................................................59
Expendable Items Reorder Report ............................................................................................................59
Inventory and Special Inventory Reports..................................................................................................61
Performing an Inventory and Modes of Operation ...................................................................................61
Other Features.............................................................................................................................. 62
Cal Due Date.............................................................................................................................................62
Warning Backup the Database Regularly (have we said this enough?) ...............................................62
Network Capabilities and Location of the database..................................................................................62
Hardware requirements .............................................................................................................. 63
Barcode, Employee #, Location conventions ............................................................................. 64
Barcode types............................................................................................................................................64
Tools .........................................................................................................................................................64
Locations...................................................................................................................................................64
Database Compatibility and Password ...................................................................................... 64
Database modifications for your tools. .....................................................................................................64
Program Updates.......................................................................................................................................64
Packing for Mobility, for our military customers .....................................................................................65
Inspection Requirements Table.................................................................................................................65
Warning Backup the Database Regularly ............................................................................ 65
Programming your Barcode Scanner to allow Scanning of ID Cards .................................... 65
SQL Server Database Setup on the Server ................................................................................ 66
SQL Server Connection String for client computers................................................................ 66
Label Maker Program........................................................................................................... 68
Operation of the label maker program requires three basic steps............................................................68
Step 1. Load Label Definition .................................................................................................... 68
Pre-Defined Labels Included with the TCMax Label Maker Program ...................................................68
Avery 5267 Tool Label.............................................................................................................................69
Employees.................................................................................................................................................69
Step 2 Loading Data: Tools, Employees, or Locations ........................................................... 69
Tool Label Printing Format.......................................................................................................................69
Employee Number labels ..........................................................................................................................70
Location Labels.........................................................................................................................................70
Label Definition Group ............................................................................................................... 70
Basic Label Definition ..............................................................................................................................70
Barcode Style............................................................................................................................................70
DataMatrix Cell Size.................................................................................................................................70
Center barcode on left edge ......................................................................................................................71
Distance from Barcode Top to Description Top .......................................................................................71
Column Spacing Definition ......................................................................................................................71

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 Row Spacing Definition............................................................................................................................71
Other features............................................................................................................................... 71
First Page Rows Remaining use with caution!.....................................................................................71
Load Range from your inventory into grid ...............................................................................................71
Print simple sequence of barcodes ............................................................................................................72
Label Defined and Data Entered ...............................................................................................................72
Sorting.......................................................................................................................................................72
Special Hidden Character Preceding Barcode ..........................................................................................72
Warning Backup the Database Regularly ............................................................................ 72
Table of Label Definitions:.......................................................................................................... 73
Pocket PC version of TCMax (TCMaxMobile) ................................................................... 76
Pocket PC Synchronization......................................................................................................... 76
Synchronization is a two step process.......................................................................................................77
After you use TCMaxMobile and have plugged the Pocket PC into the docking station .........................77
TCMax Operation in the Pocket PC .......................................................................................... 78
General Operation.....................................................................................................................................78
Logging In.................................................................................................................................................78
Initialize menu option ...............................................................................................................................78
Show Issued Tools menu option ...............................................................................................................79
Show Issued Tools of this Parent menu option .........................................................................................79
Clearing the screen....................................................................................................................................79
Update a Storage Location........................................................................................................................80
Mode of Operation ....................................................................................................................... 80
Issue / Turn In mode .................................................................................................................................80
Performing the Physical Inventory............................................................................................................80
When you issue a Parent ............................................................................................................. 81
Inspection Update .....................................................................................................................................82
Inventory, Receive Inventory....................................................................................................................82
Storage Location update ...........................................................................................................................83
New Employees and New Tools .................................................................................................. 83
Editing Locations, Inspections, Calibrations, and Parent barcode numbers ......................... 84
Re-starting TCMaxMobile after a preferences change ............................................................ 84
Installing a TCMaxMobile Update............................................................................................. 84
Having trouble with the Pocket PC? .......................................................................................... 85
ActiveSync doesnt sync or takes longer than ten minutes .......................................................................85
Pocket PC is locked up and nothing runs..................................................................................................85
Synchronization Fails or Fatal Database Errors while running TCMaxMobile ....... Error! Bookmark not
defined.
Creating a new database for ActiveSync ........................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Tool Labels ...............................................................................................................................................86
Employee Labels.......................................................................................................................................86
Sample Reports...................................................................................................................... 87
Tools Issued to Specific Employee for Packing List for Mobility............................................ 87
Tool Transfer Report................................................................................................................... 87

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 Issue History Tools issued to a particular location .............................................................. 89
Issue History where has this tool been? ................................................................................ 89
Inspection Report......................................................................................................................... 90
Tools Issued to Employee (Ctrl-P from main screen)............................................................... 90
Tools Issued to a specific location ............................................................................................... 91
Expendable Items Reorder Report............................................................................................. 91
Importing Tool Information from your Excel Spreadsheets............................................... 92

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Visit http://www.soaringsoftware.com/tcmax_versions.htm for the latest list of
updates and bug fixes.
Changes found in version 4.0
Each tool has two new check boxes. If you want to be able to issue multiple tools
with a single scan then click the Issue multiple of this tool with single scan button.
When you scan the tool you will be prompted to enter the quantity which defaults to
one. If you want to turn the tools in you have to enter a negative number.
The second check box is labeled Multiple tools with this same barcode number.
Checking this box allows you to have identical tools that all have the same barcode
number. Tools that go out to aircraft should never have this box checked. This
allows you to issue things like helmets or safety glasses to employees without
having to have a separate barcode number for each. And if the first check box is
checked as well the program always asks you how many do you want to issue.
For the U.S. Army and others that may need it, there is optionally a new piece of
information, expected return date, required when entering an employee. This only
is asked if the appropriate option is checked within Preferences.
Many other changes simply to make operation even faster and more logical.
Changes found in Version 5.0 adds 2-D barcode printing capabilities.
As of September 3, 2003, the blank database comes setup to require an employee
number and password to log in. There are a few fake employees already in the
database such as 01 and 02 Their password is the same as their employee
number. TCMax recognizes two digits or five digits as an employee. You can
change these defaults from within preferences, we put these settings in to simplify
the demonstration of TCMax.
Before you delete the tools in the blank database be sure to turn in the few tools
that are issued by simply entering their barcode numbers and listening for Turn in.
Once all tools are turned in you can use the Database maintenance screen to
delete the existing tools and add your own.
Changes found in Version 5.1 include adding a Serial Number field to the tool
table and a Default Location to the employee table. Support is added for
communication with a serial tool box locking device. And TCMax now will
discriminate between barcodes that have a dash and additional character (-T, or L,
etc.) so you can tell how the employee entered the barcode number, from a
barcode or manually typing. The Default Location and serial communications are
optionally turned on via the Preferences screens. Additional support for adjusting
the size of a DataMatrix barcode is included.
Performing a physical inventory of your tools & equipment is found on page
56.

8
SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT

This Software License Agreement (the Agreement) is entered into between Soaring Software
Solutions, Inc. ("Licensor"), an Ohio corporation, having its principal place of business at 6103 S.
Winding Way, Swanton, Ohio 43558 and the person or entity purchasing the Licensed Products
hereunder (the Licensee). This is a self executing license agreement and your use of the Licensed
Products shall be deemed to be your acceptance of all of the terms and conditions contained herein.
By installing the computer software or by copying or otherwise using the Licensed Products, you
agree to be bound by all of the terms and conditions of this Software License Agreement. If you do
not agree with the terms and conditions of this Agreement, promptly return the Licensed Products to
Licensor in their original packaging for a full refund.

LICENSE GRANT In consideration of Licensees purchase of the Licensed Products as evidenced

by Licensees bill of sale, and Licensees promises contained herein, Licensor grants to Licensee, and
Licensee accepts, subject to the terms and conditions set out in this Agreement, a non-exclusive and
non-transferable perpetual limited license to use the Licensed Products (the "License") as set forth
herein. The Licensed Products shall include the computer software purchased by Licensee
(Software) and the associated media, printed materials and on-line or electronic documentation.

1. LICENSE USE The Software may be installed and used by Licensee either (i) on one (1)
computer or server serving not more than the number of seats set forth in Licensees bill of sale, or
(ii) on not more than the same number of stand alone computers. The use of the Software (i) on
more than one (1) computer or server serving more than the number of seats set forth in Licensees
bill of sale, or (ii) on more than the same number of stand alone computers, shall require Licensee
to purchase an additional license to use the Licensed Products. The Licensed Products may only be
moved to other computers or another server with the prior written consent of Licensor. The
Licensed Products are not to be copied by Licensee or used by others without the written consent of
Licensor except for Licensees production, backup, archival, and disaster recovery purposes. The
Licensed Products may be used only by Licensee, and shall not be used for commercial timesharing
or service bureau or other rental or sharing arrangements.

2. LIMITED WARRANTY (A) Licensor warrants to Licensee that it has full power and authority to
grant this License. Licensor further warrants that for a period of sixty (60) days from the date of
purchase, the Licensed Products will perform substantially in accordance with the published product
specifications in effect as of the date of purchase (the Warranty Period). Licensor further warrants
that the transfer media shall be free from defects in materials and workmanship, and that the
published product specifications are accurate in all material respects; however, the Licensed
Products are subject to continued revision and may, at times, be at variance with such published
product specifications and may contain minor defects or errors. (B) Licensor agrees to correct all
substantive errors in the unmodified Licensed Products as reported in writing by Licensee and
Licensee will be entitled to all corrections and/or enhancements to the unmodified Licensed Products
at no charge during the Warranty Period. (C) Licensor shall have no responsibility for problems in
the Licensed Products caused by alterations or modifications thereto, arising out of the malfunction
of Licensees equipment or other software products not supplied by Licensor, or for delays or
interruptions in the delivery, installation or operation of the Licensed Products caused by events
beyond the reasonable control of Licensor. (D) THIS AGREEMENT IS A LICENSE AND IS NOT A
SALE OF GOODS AND EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY SET FORTH HEREIN, THERE ARE NO WARRANTIES,

9
EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

3. MANAGEMENT, CONTROL AND IMPLEMENTATION (A) Licensee is responsible for the

adequacy of the Licensed Products in Licensees intended application and use. Licensor shall not be
responsible for the implementation or installation of the Software and Licensee shall be solely
responsible for the management, internal control, and implementation of the Licensed Products,
including acquiring adequate computer hardware, insuring proper machine configuration and/or
program installation. (B) Sizing is the process of estimating the amount of computer equipment and
types of hardware and software features needed to run the Software on the machine or machines
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performed any sizing with respect to Licensees equipment and other software. Licensee is
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BE EXPRESSLY PROVIDED HEREIN, Licensor MAKES NO WARRANTY AS TO THE ADEQUACY OR
CAPACITY OF LICENSEES COMPUTER(S) OR SERVER, OR THE PERFORMANCE OF THE LICENSED
PRODUCTS ON LICENSEES COMPUTER(S) OR SERVER.

4. RIGHT TO MODIFY Licensee shall not modify the Licensed Products without the consent of
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Licensor MAKES NO WARRANTY, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, REGARDING ANY MODIFIED PORTIONS
OF THE LICENSED PRODUCTS, and no such modifications shall in any manner reduce Licensors
ownership of the Licensed Products. In the event that Licensee shall modify the Licensed Products,
Licensee hereby grants to Licensor a non-exclusive perpetual worldwide license to use, incorporate
and sub-license such modifications.

5. PROPRIETARY RIGHTS (A) Licensee recognizes that the Licensed Products provided under
this Agreement have substantial monetary value and are considered TRADE SECRET, PROPRIETARY
and/or CONFIDENTIAL material of Licensor, and that Licensor retains ownership of all rights, title
and interest to its Licensed Products. All enhancements and modifications made by Licensor will
remain proprietary to Licensor; however, Licensor grants to Licensee a non-exclusive license to use
such enhancements and modifications delivered during the Warranty Period without additional
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secret, proprietary, and/or confidential nature of the Licensed Products. All right, title and interest
in and to the Licensed Products, including, but not limited to, any media, images, photographs,
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property of Licensor. (B) Licensee agrees to exercise due care to prevent disclosure and
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information already in the possession of Licensee, information obtained from other sources without
obligations of confidentiality, information independently developed, or information required by court
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Member State of the European Community such activities shall be permitted solely to the extent, if
any, permitted by Article 6 of the Council Directive of 14 May 1991 on the Legal Protection of
Computer Programs and any implementing legislation therefore; (ii) not to distribute the Licensed
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and the trade secret, confidential and proprietary information contained therein, are not disclosed to
any person other than Licensees employees, consultants or agents who have a need for access in
order to use them; and (iv) not to remove the copyright, trade secret or other proprietary protection

10
legends or notices which may appear on or in the Licensed Products. (D) Licensor MAY INSTALL
DISABLING PROCEDURES IN THE LICENSED PRODUCTS. IF THERE OCCURS ANY UNAUTHORIZED
USE OF THE LICENSED PRODUCTS, SUCH DISABLING PROCEDURES MAY RENDER THE LICENSED
PRODUCTS INOPERABLE. (E) Licensee agrees to notify Licensor immediately of any unauthorized
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details of such situation and assist in preventing any recurrence thereof and cooperate at Licensors
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6. ARBITRATION All disputes involving this Agreement, except actions arising under the
copyright provision of Title 17 of the U.S. Code, shall, at the sole option of Licensor, be determined
under the law of the State of Ohio and shall be submitted to an arbitrator appointed and operated
under the Uniform Arbitration Act and the procedural rules of the American Arbitration Association.
Such arbitrator shall be a person with computer software industry experience. The location of the
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binding, and convertible to a court judgment in any appropriate jurisdiction.

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Agreement. Upon termination, the License to use the Licensed Products shall be immediately
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and an affidavit supplied to Licensor certifying destruction. Confidentiality obligations shall survive
this Agreement.

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CONSTRUED SO AS TO REDUCE THE PROPRIETARY RIGHTS OF LICENSOR; or (ii) SHALL LICENSOR
BE LIABLE TO ANY PERSON, INCLUDING LICENSEE, FOR: (a) A MONETARY AMOUNT GREATER
THAN THE LOWER OF THE SUGGESTED LIST PRICE OR THE ACTUAL PURCHASE PRICE PAID BY
LICENSEE FOR THE LICENSED PRODUCTS, REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF THE CLAIM; AND (b)
ANY LOSS OR INJURY TO EARNINGS, PROFITS OR GOODWILL, OR FOR ANY INCIDENTAL,
PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY PERSON, WHATSOEVER AND WHETHER
ARISING IN CONTRACT, TORT, OR OTHERWISE EVEN IF EITHER LICENSOR OR LICENSEE HAS
BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. (B) Licensee further agrees that no third
party suppliers to Licensor of any portion of the Licensed Products shall be deemed to have made,
or make, any warranties, express or implied, or representations to Licensee and such third party
suppliers shall have no liability to Licensee whatsoever.

9. GENERAL (A) The waiver by Licensor of a breach by Licensee hereunder shall not constitute
the waiver by Licensor of any other or subsequent breach by Licensee. (B) Any notice required
hereunder shall be in writing and sent by certified mail, postage prepaid, return receipt requested.
(C) No amendments, modifications or supplements to this Agreement shall be binding unless in
writing and signed by Licensor. (D) No action, regardless of form arising out of this Agreement may
be brought by Licensee more than one (1) year after the cause of arbitration or action arose. (E) If
any provision of this Agreement is held to be unenforceable, such decision shall not affect the
validity or enforceability of the remaining provisions. (F) This Agreement shall be self executing as
set forth above. (G) In the event Licensee issues a purchase order or other instrument covering the
subject matter of this Agreement, such purchase order is for Licensees internal use and shall not be
binding on Licensor nor shall such purchase order affect this Agreement.

11
Trademarks
Product names mentioned in this manual may be trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective companies and are hereby acknowledged.
Microsoft Access, Copyright 1989-1996 by Microsoft Corporation.
All bar code technology provided with TCMax is copyrighted by TAL Technologies,
Inc.
TCMax is a registered trademark of Soaring Software Solutions, Inc.
TCMaxMobile, and the Soaring Software Solutions, Inc. logos are trademarks of
Soaring Software Solutions, Inc.
Level 5 Tool Control and the Level 5 Tool Control logo are Trademarks of Snap-
on Incorporated

Changes to this manual

The information in this manual is subject to change without notice.

12
Introduction
TCMax is tool control software that talks. It will help you digitize your tool box,
shop, or tool crib, ensuring that tools or equipment never go into the work area
unaccounted. It virtually guarantees that employees will not use un-calibrated tools.
Its ability to give audio feedback, telling the employee exactly what the program has
done with the tool with a single scan will reduce costs with minimum impact to the
employee as they seldom need to look directly at the computer screen, they just
scan, listen, and go. It only takes a few minutes to learn how to use TCMax,
permanently eliminating manual paper trails, generating digital data so you can
track all tools used, where they were used and when. Multiple security levels allow
you to allow individual employees to use all functions, and turn in their own tools,
OR with a couple of clicks, require someone else to turn them in verifying the turn in
process. Multiple similar tools can all have a single barcode and be issued to
different employees (not for aviation use). Tools can be issued singly or marked to
be issued in any quantity. Although not mandatory, you should have speakers
connected to your computer and listen to the audio prompts to get the highest level
of tool control.

Installation
Program Updates, new users skip this paragraph
When you receive an update to the TCMax programs you may have to make
changes to the database. Start your current version of TCMax and click on the
About button to display the version number. If the second number in the version
changes then you must run the TCMaxDatabaseUpdate program once. If the last
number in the version is the only change then you do NOT have to run the
database updater. Install the update, usually by running Setup.exe. Before running
TCMax click on Start\Programs\Soaring Software Solutions\TCMax and click on
TCMaxDatabaseUpdate. Click the run button. It will perform all necessary updates
to your database for the new version of TCMax.
After installation, certain video card and computer combinations cause Windows to
report incorrect screen resolution to TCMax. You will know this because the main
TCMax display will appear to extend far to the right and bottom. Start TCMax and
press CTRL-Q and a screen resolution window will open. Start by entering .8 (dot
eight) in both boxes. Click Save and exit out of this window and TCMax. Re-start
TCMax and make further adjustments as necessary.

TCMax Software Installation

When you place the CD in your drive a menu will start. The top button starts a
tutorial; the second button will run the setup.exe program to install TCMax. Click
the second button. You may just press ENTER answering each installation question
to accept the default installation. Do not remove the CD from the computer

13
unless you are very sure that the installation is complete by observing the
TCMax icon and TCS Label Maker icon on your desktop. This installation
process installs the very latest Microsoft data access routines. The installation
software sometimes must re-start your computer. This often happens two times on
new computers. Windows 95 may require a third re-start. These re-starts should
be fully controlled by the installation process. After the setup program has
completed, you will have a TCMax icon available by clicking on the Start Button,
Programs, Tool Control Software plus icons will be placed on your desktop.
Network Installations
TCMax Network Considerations with Microsoft Access database
When you plan to share a TCMax database on a network you simply move the
TCS.mdb database and its DatabasePassword.ini file to any shared directory on
your network. If you have already started TCMax before moving the database,
TCMax will remember where the database was. The database location is stored in
a file called TPath.ini which is located in your default TCMax directory, (c:\Program
Files\Soaring Software Solutions\TCMax\TPath.ini). You must delete this TPath.ini
file then start TCMax again. TCMax will tell you that it can not find the database
and then offer a file selector box to allow you to navigate to the new location of the
database.
SQL Server Installation Considerations
Most customers use our Microsoft Access database. For those that plan to use
SQL Server see page 66 for database setup instructions.
Internet Explorer Version Required
The installation process requires a certain version of Microsoft Internet Explorer to
be installed. If the installer stops and tells you it requires a later version, click OK to
stop the installation process. Use Windows Explorer to look at the CDs directory.
There you will find a program titled something like Install IE 55.exe or something
like that (Install IE 60, etc.). Double click on that program and the latest version of
Internet Explorer will be installed. Then re-start the setup.exe program to perform
the TCMax installation.
Pocket PC installation of TCMaxMobile
First, complete the setup of TCMax on your PC and perform the following steps on
your PC:
Resist the temptation of plugging everything together! Pocket PCs must be
hooked up to a PC in a precise order. For new systems, unpack your Pocket PC.
Plug the power for the docking station in but DO NOT plug the serial or USB cable
into your computer at this time! Plug your Pocket PC into the docking station to
allow it to charge. Most Pocket PCs start as soon as you plug them into a charger.
It is OK to follow the Pocket PC screen prompts and initialize it but do NOT plug the
communications cable into the PC until instructed to do so, you only do this usually
immediately after installing ActiveSync.

14
If you receive a Pocket PC from Soaring Software Solutions, Inc. and we already
installed TCMaxMobile on the Pocket PC, proceed to page 76 for instructions on
how to synchronize.
Note, as of this writing Microsoft has released new versions of Windows Mobile
2003 Second Edition or 2005. These versions may cause the installer to report that
the program that you are installing may not be compatible with this version of
Windows. Simply click OK and ignore these warnings. To install TCMax on your
pocket pc you must perform these instructions in this exact order:
1) Install Microsoft ActiveSync using the instructions included with your pocket
pc.
2) Place the Pocket PC on the docking station. ActiveSync will ask you to create
a partnership. You must choose between guest or standard. If you choose a
standard partnership, performing the following steps will improve your future
synchronization time.
a) In ActiveSync, click on Tools then Options
b) Un-check all of the boxes, i.e. mail, notes, calendar, etc.
c) Click the OK button
3) Run the TCMaxMobile installation from the PC Desktop. It can be found by
clicking on the Start button> All Programs> Soaring Software Solutions> TCMax
and look for the icon that looks like a Pocket PC that says TCMaxMobile
Installer.
a) The installation program comes up on your PC. With the pocket PC still
plugged into its docking cradle and hooked up to this PC, click the big Install
Software button in the TCMaxMobile Installer program.
b) Hit your PC Enter key at each prompt, taking the defaults. This installation
program actually installs six things including the Compact Framework version
2, Pocket Sql Server 2005, barcode scanner software, and the TCMaxMobile
programs.
c) When complete there may be two or three warnings on your pocket pc, just
click OK on them to delete the warnings, they do not matter.
4) You are ready to use TCMaxMobile after you synchronize with your PC. See
Synchronization in the pocket pc portion of this user manual.
Your TCSMobileSQL.sdf pocket pc database should easily handle 10,000 items.
However if you use your pocket pc for other programs, space may be very limited.
If you want, you can move your TCSMobileSQL.sdf database file from the pocket pc
\My Documents\ folder to the root directory of either an SD memory card or the root
directory of a CF memory card. Be sure to purchase a fast card, at least 100x
speed. TCMax and TCMaxMobile both automatically look in these locations for
your pocket pc database. When the database is on a SD or CF card, the database
size is only limited to the size of the card. Well over 1 million assets are possible
although this will significantly increase the time that it takes to synchronize. We

15
recommend keeping each pocket pc database to less than 50,000 records to keep
synchronization times reasonable. This can be done by separating your assets by
Shop Code, and syncing only a single shop code of assets.
Socket Scanner users, you must program a scan button
5) Pocket PCs that use the Socket Scanner must install the Socket drivers using
the CD included with the scanner.
a) With the pocket pc in the cradle, place the CD that came with the Socket
barcode scanner in the PC that is hooked to the pocket pc. Perform the
installation following the Socket Scanner instructions. When prompted you
will select the Windows CE type of installation.
i) You will also find the Socket Setup.exe and related files on your TCMax
CD in the SocketScan 1-D folder. Run Setup.exe from that folder on the
CD with the Pocket PC in its docking station and follow the appropriate
prompts.
b) Next you must start Socket Scan on the Pocket PC. If you are using a 2-D
scanner, the Socket installation software installs three icons. Do NOT start
anything except Socket Scan.
c) You now must program a button to activate the scanner. For an iPAQ we
recommend programming the Record button. For the Dell Axim X5 we
recommend the Mail button.
i) Click on the flag in the upper left corner of your pocket pc.
ii) Click on the Settings icon
iii) Click on the Buttons icon
iv) Click on the button that already says Record (Mail for Dell).
v) Click the button assignment drop down box and select SocketScan
vi) Click OK in the upper right corner, and click the X in the upper right
corner to close the Settings window.
6) If your TCMax program has already been configured you can proceed to the
Synchronization instructions on page 75. Otherwise dont bother to synchronize
until you have completed the configuration of TCMax first.
7) Once you have performed the synchronization instructions you can start
TCMaxMobile by clicking on the Flag in the upper left corner of the Pocket PC
then click on Programs. You will find the TCMaxMobile icon, three Ss with a
yellow sailplane diagonally across them, click on it.

The Computers Clock

Periodically check your computers clock to ensure it is relatively close to the correct
time and date. This will ensure that your log records accurately reflect the actual
issue and turn-in times along with proper reporting of overdue calibrations.

16
Introduction
The primary design criteria for the Soaring Software Solutions TCMax Tool
Control Program was for minimal keystrokes and ease of use. Users that
encounter frustrating or confusing entry requirements, or areas that require excess
key entries should contact Soaring Software Solutions, Inc. at
TCMax@soaringsoftware.com. Enhancements to this program can be provided.

Warning Backup the Database Regularly

Please backup your database on a regular basis. Copy the TCS.mdb database file
to another computers hard drive, to a floppy drive, CD-R, CD-RW, or tape. Backup
often, at least once a week and preferably once every day.

Features
The TCMax program talks to you, telling you that it is issuing or turning in tools.
This one feature ensures the accuracy of your tool issue process while relieving the
user from having to look at the computer screen after scanning every tool. It also
gives you audio warnings whenever a tool is overdue calibration, overdue an
inspection, or pre-issued out of a toolbox. All entries made while checking tools in
or out are permanently entered in a LOG table. If necessary, the entire history of
any tool can easily be printed from the main screen using one of the many reports.
TMDE (Tools that require periodic calibration) items can be assigned calibration
due dates. The software automatically warns the user if the item issued is due
today or overdue.
Press Ctrl-P (hold the control key down and press P) to print a list of tools that the
current employee has issued. You can also type the word print in upper or lower
case to print the report. Create a barcode label with the word print in barcode and
you can print the report by scanning that barcode.
Press Ctrl-R to get a list of issued tools printed on a side by thermal receipt printer.
The list automatically prints when you clear the screen or select a new employee
number.

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Bixolon (Samsung) SRP-372U Receipt Printer note: This receipt printer can also
be used to print barcodes within the receipts (see example below). When you
install this printer driver, open the print driver preferences page for this printer,
select the Additional Commands tab, and at the bottom of the page check the Cut
Receipt [Partial] check box.

The purpose of the barcodes is to speed the turn in process. The top barcode is
the employee number. The second barcode are the words Turn In for a location.
The remaining barcodes are tool barcode numbers. Notice the RAG barcode in the
sample above. Just below the rag barcode, and centered in the receipt is a
barcode that says minus nine. This person was issued nine rags. Turning them
back in requires a minus nine to be entered, and that is what this barcode says.
So, to quickly turn in a bunch of tools and equipment the TCMax operator simply
scans the barcodes in the order that they appear on the receipt (employee number,
location, and tool barcodes with quantity when necessary), verifying that the item is
there BEFORE scanning the barcode.

18
The database used to store all tool and employee information is in Microsoft
Access 2000 format and is password protected. The software is fully compatible
with Microsoft Access 97, 2002 or XP. Reports that we have not thought of can
easily be developed and printed directly from within Microsoft Access. Each tool
has its calibration due date. Theres also an Inspection table for each tool that
tracks an unlimited number of inspection items for each. Any inspection that is
overdue shows up in red in the inspection table.
Expendable items can be issued with no turn-in expected. Checking the No Turn-In
box for any tool causes the program to respond to its barcode differently. With no
employee on the screen, entering the tool barcode number brings up the total in
stock box. Here you enter the new quantity in stock whenever you receive new
stock. When a valid employee is on the screen and the tools barcode is entered
TCMax deducts one from the quantity in stock. If the quantity in stock goes below
the reorder quantity then a label appears in red next to reorder quantity and the tool
appears on the reorder expendables report.
Tools that dont need to be individually tracked but you have multiples of can all be
assigned the same barcode number by checking the Multiple tools with this same
barcode number check box.
You may often issue more than one of a particular tool to a single employee.
Checking the Issue multiple of this tool with single scan check box causes an audio
and screen prompt to Enter quantity. This defaults to one. You can enter the
number of this item that you want to issue then press ENTER. This feature works
both for expendable tools (No Turn-in checked) or regular tools that have the
Multiple tools with this same barcode number check box checked.
Dates and currency values are all displayed in Windows Regional settings,
matching your local format.

Parent-Child Relationships with tools

Tools can be assigned a parent barcode number. As an example, lets say you
have a torque wrench (barcode number 114 in the blank database) that you store
in a toolbox (barcode number 120). If you put the toolboxs barcode number 120 in
the Parent Barcode Number box of the torque wrench, you now enable two features
whenever the parent is issued.
1. If the torque wrench is overdue calibration, issuing the toolbox causes the
Overdue Calibration audio to be heard, followed by the Issue audio.
2. If the torque wrench has been issued which would happen if you send it to
the calibration lab, issuing the toolbox causes the Caution-Tool Removed
audio to be heard, followed by the Issue audio.
You can have an unlimited number of child tools in any toolbox. Appropriate
warnings will be given if any tool is missing or over due calibration.
Again, a toolbox has a barcode number. Tools have their barcode numbers.
For any tools that are located within the toolbox, place the toolboxs barcode

19
number in each tools parent barcode number box. Do not put any numbers
in the toolboxs parent barcode number box.

Child Overdue or Missing Warnings

Whenever a parent tool is issued that generates an overdue or missing warning due
to one of its children, a Show Child Details button appears in the lower left portion
of the tool information area. Clicking this button causes the tool log grid to display a
list of all of those tools that caused the warning. Any tool with a user employee
number caused the missing warning to issue. Any tool with a calibration due date
that has passed caused the overdue calibration warning.

Setting Your Preferences the First Time you run TCMax

The first time that you run TCMax you should take the time to set the mode of
operation which revolves around the number of characters in your tool barcodes
and the number of characters in your employee ID cards. TCMax will also warn you
that you need to define your printers. The TCMax Label Maker section will explain
details of label setup and printer setup on page 73.
If you are using TCMax preloaded with our default demo data, Start TCMax by
clicking on the TCMax icon on your computers desktop. Click on Maintenance and
then Log In/Out. Enter your employee number and your password (With the blank
database type 01 {zero one} for an employee number and 01 {zero one} for the
password). Click on Maintenance again then click on Preferences. The following
screen is displayed.
If you are using TCMax with a totally blank database, Start TCMax by clicking
on the TCMax icon on your computers desktop. Click on Maintenance and then
Log In/Out. Leave the employee number blank, click in the Password box and type
FOD or FIRE to log in. Click on Maintenance again then click on Preferences.
The following screen is displayed.

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There are six tabs; General Requirements, General Req 2, Company Information &
License Password, ID Card and Tool Barcodes, Tool Captions, and Label Setup.

Pocket PC TCMaxMobile user note:

Any time that you make a change to the Preferences area you MUST follow the
instructions on page 83 that will completely turn off and re-start TCMax mobile on
your pocket pc.

General Requirements, General Req 2, General Req 3

These first three tabs offer a number of options.
Printer names
You can print single labels directly from the TCMax screen. Select the appropriate
printers with these three combo boxes. Your page printer is the printer that you will
send all reports to. The label printer is where you print your individual labels. The
receipt printer is only used if you print tool receipts to an optional thermal receipt
printer.
Check to require someone to be logged in.
Check this box and someone will have to be logged in before any tools can be
issued or turned in.

21
Check if a second person is required to check in tools
This option when not checked allows a person to check in his or her own tools.
When checked, if a person tries to check in their own tools a warning audio is heard
Second Person Required for Turn-In and the tool is not turned in.
Hide Employee Numbers on main screen
Check this box to remove all employee numbers from the main screen (default).
Warning lead time in days for Calibrations
The default is zero days. This number is added to todays date when tools are
checked out. So, if you are packing tools for a trip and you want a warning if any
tool will go out of calibration or overdue inspection during the trip, set this number to
the number of days from now until the end of the trip. Any tool scanned after the
preferences are saved will cause an Overdue Calibration warning to fire if the
calibration due date is before the end of your trip. To disable this feature, set the
days to zero.
Warning lead time in days for Inspections
This works just like calibrations above except it monitors inspection dates and will
give you an Inspection Overdue audio warning telling you that something is
expiring within the period of now plus the number of days in this box.
Shop code used to filter displays and reports
The shop code entered in this box comes into effect if the next check box is
checked (Filter reports and displays with the shop code above). You only need to
use these two items if you have multiple shops sharing a common database. The
text box and check box are set individually on every computer. In that way any
number of computers can filter by their own shop code, seeing only their own data.
But any shop can un-check the box and see everyones data. A quality assurance
shop may want to have the box un-checked while everyone else has the box
checked and their own shop code entered.
All tool transactions are entered in the LOG table. The Shop Code is also tracked
within the LOG table so that you see only transactions from your shop.
When first adding tools to TCMax it is very important that this shop code box be
filled in appropriately. The shop code can be changed within each field later
however the LOG table would also have to be updated. The default entry is
Default. If you manually enter tools in the database you must also put the word
Default in the SHOP_CODE column of each tool.
Purchases as units rather than each check box
This box sets up one of the purchasing features. Often when you purchase items
they come in a pack of a dozen, hundred, or what ever rather than in single each
quantities. The Below Minimum Inventory report will tell you how many items you
need to order. When you receive the items, if this box is checked, when you
receive an item it calculates the number received based on the unit. If the unit is a
dozen, and you receive one, then a dozen are added to inventory. If the box is not

22
checked and you receive one, then one is added to inventory. The latter is the
default and the suggested mode of operation.
Show Physical Inventory menu option on main screen
The physical inventory menu option when clicked allows you to issue the children or
children and grandchildren of any parent. This begins the Physical Inventory
process by issuing everything in the box, room, crib, or trailer. You then scan
everything back in, listening for Turn In. The items that remain issued are missing
and any item that says Issue is something that belongs in a different location.

Log display is filtered by filters in Show Tools that are Out screen
Check this option and the filters that are applied in the Show tools that are out
screen apply to the employee log table. When an employee number is entered, a
log appears in the bottom left of the screen showing you what tools the employee
has issued to themselves. Long term items can be automatically hidden by
checking the box above, and issuing the item to a special location such as Long
Term or Permanent or whatever, and adding that same text to a filter in the Show
tools that are out screen.
Show Quick Turn @ Shift Change check box
The Quick Turn @ Shift Change menu item is used when you have a multi-shift
operation and want to allow tools to be transferred without actually scanning each
individual tool. It allows you to pick all tools issued to an individual or to a location
and transfer them to the employee already on the main screen.

23
Vendor Names
Place your vendor names in this table if you plan to enter vendor names in the main
tool screen. The Below Minimum Inventory report will automatically break up the
report based upon the vendor name to make ordering easier.
New Tool Defaults
The next two items are used to help you save time when you create a new tool.
Default new tools to allow multiple issue with single scan
If the majority of your tools are issued in quantities of more than one at a time then
check this box. When new tools are created the Issue multiple of this tool with
single scan check box will automatically be checked for you.
Default that multiple tools can have the same barcode number
If the majority of your tools are allowed to have multiple tools with the same barcode
number and therefore allowed to be issued to multiple employees under a single
tool barcode number then you should check this box. When new tools are created
the Multiple tools with this same barcode number box will automatically be checked.
Ask for Expected Return Date when entering Employee / Location
This option was designed to meet U.S. Army regulations. It adds the requirement to
enter an expected tool return date after entering an Employee number and a Work
Location. It allows you to monitor tools that are to be issued for more than one day
and warn you via a report when tools have not been returned by that expected
return date.
Wave files ending with this number are used
This option defaults to Random. In random mode, each time that you start TCMax
the program randomly picks one of the six sets of wave files to use to say the words
Issue and Turn In, etc. You can force TCMax to use only one of the sets of files
each time you start by selecting a number from 1 to 6. Then you can rely on
TCMax choosing that set if files with each start. The files are titled Issu1.wav,
Issu2.wav, etc. The number that you select in this option will match the number in
the wave file.
Number 7 gives you Spanish.
Comm port number for Serial Port Lock Mechanism
Certain versions of TCMax have the ability to communicate with a serial lock
mechanism that when unlocked will automatically place the employee number on
the screen of the person that opened the lock. This requires a Comm Port to be
entered.
Enter a 0 (zero) to disable this feature.
To determine the Comm port number you must first have a serial port that you will
hook your lock to. If your computer doesnt have a serial port, install a USB to
Serial adapter. Then perform the following steps to find your Comm port number.

24
 a) Click on the Start button
b) Click on Control Panel
c) Click the System icon
d) Click the Hardware tab
e) Click the Device Manager button
f) Click the + next to Ports (COM & LPT)
Next to your COMM port you will see the port number. Enter this in the Comm port
number box. Each time you start TCMax communications with the port will be
tested. If the communications fails TCMax will warn you, disable the port software,
and continue to work normally without lock communications.
Hide Cost for all tools on screen and in reports
This menu option changes the cost on the main screen to asterisks and makes cost
columns in reports invisible.

Show Button and enable setting of default locations for individual employees
Check this box and you turn on the ability to set a default location for individual
employees. When set, the employee simply enters his or her employee number,
the default location automatically appears, and they are ready to issue tools to that
location.
To set a default location, enter an employee number and enter a location as normal.
The Set Default button appears just to the right of the Location text box. Click the

25
button, the default is set, and the button changes to Un-Set Default. To un-set the
default location for this employee, just click the Un-Set Default button.

Company Information & License Password

This tab requires your company name or unit name, street address or post office
box, serial number, and license password. Without the appropriate entry your
TCMax software will be limited to thirty tools and will display 30 Tool Demo on
the main screen. Soaring Software Solutions, Inc. provides the license password
upon purchase of a license to use TCMax. When entering the three items pay
particular attention to typing them EXACTLY without changing case or adding
punctuation.

ID Card and Tool Barcodes

This tab tells TCMax how to process scanned inputs and how to decide whether
you are entering a tool barcode or an employee number.

26
New Tool Barcode Numbers
There is a menu option under Maintenance titled Create New Tool. New tools can
be created simply by entering a tool barcode number that the system does not
recognize. A second way to create a new tool entry is to click the Create New Tool
menu option (or hit the F3 key). When you click it TCMax looks in the database for
the next available barcode number and then creates the new blank tool with this
barcode number.
The top two boxes of this preferences screen tell you what that next barcode
number will be. The prefix can be alpha/numeric. The default is blank. The suffix
must be numeric. If you want your tool barcode numbers to be all numeric then
leave the prefix box blank. If you want your barcodes to be six digits long but want
to start with the number one thousand then you should enter 001000 in the suffix
box. If you want to use three digit barcodes and want to start with the barcode
number one then you should enter 001 in the suffix box.
TCMax automatically checks the database entry each time you click the Create
New Tool menu option, for the next barcode number. This way you can be entering
new tools from multiple computers and there will be no conflicts.
If you should accidentally click the Create New Tool option or decide not to enter it
at this time, then you should simply hit the ESC key and the new tool vanishes and
the next available tool barcode number is reset to the old number if possible.

27
Employee and Instruction Screen Captions
Change these items if your application requires you to issue tools to something
other than an employee or that the tools are going to something other than a work
location. For example, you may want to issue tools to a Machine rather than an
Employee. So you would put Machine Number in the box titled Who or what is
taking the tool and you would put Enter Machine Number in the box titled First
Issue Instruction (Enter Employee Number). This instruction appears at the top left
of the screen, telling TCMax users how to run TCMax.
If you want to track tools by job number rather than a location you could change the
Where the tool is going option to Job Number and you would also want to
change the Second Issue Instruction to Enter Job Number. Once these changes
are made and you click OK the main TCMax screen will reflect those changes.
The Set Default button simply changes the captions back to the original TCMax
captions.
Allow ID Cards and Tool barcodes to be the same length
Do NOT use this mode unless you absolutely must! Check the first box if you have
employee ID card barcodes that have the same number of characters as your tool
barcodes. The only disadvantage with this mode of operation is when you are
checking in tools you will have to enter an employee and location BEFORE you can
turn-in a tool. If you should scan a tool without first identifying an employee,
TCMax will assume that you are trying to enter a new employee barcode and will
respond New Employee. Hit Esc to cancel the new employee request.
The advantage of this mode is that your tools and employee ID cards can all have
any length of characters. TCMax will simply always expect that the first thing you
will scan will be an employee number. The second is the location. And as long as
an employee number remains on the screen, any other scan deals with the issue or
turn-in of a tool.
Use these to base Employee vs. Tool on first character
These two boxes allow you to tell TCMax the first character style of all employees.
Checking the top box causes anything scanned thats first character is a number
between zero and nine to be recognized as an employee. Anything beginning with
an a to z or A to Z is a tool. Checking the bottom box causes TCMax to
recognize the opposite, that is anything beginning with an alpha character must be
an employee and anything beginning with a number must be a tool.
This mode of operation fully maintains all computerized automation and is OK to
use.
Employee ID Card #1, Employee ID Card #2, etc. The Best Mode
If you have not checked the upper checkbox or either of the two between the
dashed lines then you are allowed to specify the number of characters in your ID
cards. You can have four lengths of ID cards. The number of characters in the ID
cards must NOT be the same as any of your tools. In this mode of operation, when
anything is scanned TCMax counts the characters. If the length matches any of

28
the numbers in these four boxes then TCMax assumes it is an employee.
Anything else must be a tool. In this mode of operation, if you dont have an
employee on the screen, and you dont have the first tabs Second Person Required
to Turn-In Tools box checked, and you scan a tool, then TCMax assumes you
want to turn the tool in and does so.
How many characters are in your ID cards or tool barcodes?
To check the number of characters in any barcode, click in the box in the lower left
corner of this tab. Scan the barcode and the character count will appear to the right
of the box.
Which mode do I use?
If your employees ID barcodes and your tool barcodes are the same length you
must check the first check box. The next two boxes are better if they fit your
numbering scheme.
(Default mode) If your employee ID barcodes and tool barcodes are a different
length then enter the number of characters in the employee ID card and leave both
of the upper check boxes NOT checked. New copies of TCMax are shipped with
this mode enabled and expect 5 characters or 2 characters in an ID card.

Tool Captions
All tool captions on the screen, in reports, and on printed labels are fully
customizable by you.

29
Looking at the selections above you will see the default captions. If you want this
item to print on the tool labels click in the Print on Label check box. Note that only a
few captioned items are available for print on a tool label.

Label Setup
The last tab, Label Setup, defines the layout of labels printed directly from the
TCMax screen.

Employee and Tool labels have separate definitions. The definition shown above
matches the requirements for a Dymo LabelWriter label printer and a small
return address label. When printing to this type of printer in the landscape mode
you have to add a Top Margin that moves the print area to the left within the printer.
See page 73 for a list of Printer Definitions and the numbers that should work for
your printer.
The Barcode Type is also selectable. Standard single dimension barcodes as seen
in the back of this manual are Code 128 which covers the entire alphabet both
upper and lower case and is used by default. The newer 2-D barcodes like the PDF
417 and Data Matrix have built in error correction so that a significant amount of the
label can be destroyed and the label can still be read. However, these 2-D
barcodes require a 2-D scanner that can decode them. 2-D scanners are usually
more expensive than 1-D scanners.

30
The Distance barcode top to description box allows you to adjust the position of the
description, below the barcode. It usually should be set a little larger or equal to the
Barcode Height.
The DataMatrix Cell Size box requires a number between 5 and 30. The default is
15. Smaller numbers make smaller barcodes. The number represents the small
cell size of a DataMatrix barcode in mils. 15 to 30 can be used for normal imaging
barcode readers. Soaring Software Solutions, Inc. can provide special imagers that
will read a smaller DataMatrix barcode. The number 8 produces a barcode that is
approximately .1 inch square for a 9 digit code. When printing small DataMatrix
barcodes be sure to set your laser printer on its highest resolution!
The Special tool character text box is normally left blank. If you want all of your
printed tool barcode labels to be preceded with a special character that is recorded
in the LOG table next to the employee name then enter the character here, anything
alpha-numeric will work, but one character only. See page 72 for additional
information on how TCMax deals with the special characters and why you might
use them.

31
TCMax Operation

Starting TCMax
Start the program by clicking (or double-clicking) on the TCMax icon. Instructions
appear in the upper left portion of the screen.

Log in
The blank database contains a few employees and requires that you log in before
issuing or turning in tools. Hit the F12 key and type an employee number and
password to log in. Type 01 (zero one) for the employee number, hit TAB or
ENTER, and 01 (zero one) for the password and hit enter. The upper left corner of
the screen will display the name of the logged in employee.
All you need to do to check out a tool is:
1. Enter an employee number
2. Enter the location that you are taking the tools
3. Enter the tool number(s)
4. Press Ctrl-P (hold the control key down and press P) to print a list of tools
that the current employee has issued. . You can also type the word print in
upper or lower case to print the report. Create a barcode label with the word
print in barcode and you can print the report by scanning that barcode.
5. If you have installed an optional thermal receipt printer then you can press
CTRL-R to print a receipt containing a list of the tools that this employee
currently has issued. The receipt will automatically print whenever you clear
the screen, press CTRL-R, or switch to a different employee.
The table in the lower left portion of the screen displays the list of tools issued to
the current employee. If this employee is turning in tools that belong to
someone else then the table displays the list of tools that are issued to that
employee.
The table can also display a list of expendable things that the current employee
has ever had issued. Press CTRL-L and the table will switch display modes.

32
Issuing Tools
Enter Employee Number
1. Enter an employee number. Your blank database contains a few employee
numbers 01 (zero-one) is one of them.
a. When an employee is displayed, the log table switches modes and displays
all of the tools that this employee currently has issued. This greatly speeds
the turn-in process as you know immediately if that employee has not turned
in all of their tools.
b. If you are turning in tools, it is not necessary to enter an employee number
(unless the Second Person Required for Check In feature is enabled). If you
do enter an employee number, you can use this entry to document the name
of the person that performed final the check of the tools on turn in. The LOG
table will always reflect an issue to the turning in employees number
instantly followed by a turn in (employee number of zero indicates the tool is
turned in)
Enter Location
2. Enter the location that the tool is being taken (press enter key).

33
 Note in the screen above, if the data input box in the upper left corner of the
screen is red you will NOT be allowed to issue tools. To be able to issue tools
the data input box must be green.
The Label Maker program will print barcodes that translate into the locations that
you normally use, speeding the tool issue process. See page 70 for an example
of how to use the Label Maker to print barcodes for your locations.
You can also assign an individual default location for every employee. See
page 26 for instructions to turn this feature on. To set the default location, enter
an employee number and location as directed above. Click the Set Default
button next to the Location text box. From now on when this employees name
is entered the location will automatically be placed on the screen. To unset the
default location simply click the Un-set Default button.
Enter Tool Barcodes
3. Enter the alphanumeric tool number then press enter. Our blank database
contains a few tool barcode numbers, such as 112 (press enter key).
a. If the tools Issue multiple of this tool with single scan check box is checked
then you will hear the audio Enter Quantity and an input box will appear on
the screen asking you how many tools do you want. Enter the appropriate
quantity and press ENTER key. When turning tools in you enter a negative
number.
b. If the tool was shown as stored in the tool crib, then the audio Issue is heard
telling you that the tool is issued to you.
c. If the tool was previously issued and no one properly turned it in, then the
software responds with the audio Turn In telling you that the tool has now
been returned to the tool crib. In this case immediately re-scan the tool. The
Issue audio is now heard and the tool is properly issued in your name.
d. If the tool that you are issuing is overdue calibration or has a child tool that
is overdue calibration then the Overdue Calibration audio warning is heard
followed by the Issue audio.
e. If the tool that you are issuing has a child tool that has already been issued
(like a torque wrench sent to the calibration lab) then the Caution-Tool
Removed audio warning is heard followed by the Issue audio.
f. If the tool that you are issuing has an inspection that is overdue then the
Inspection Overdue audio warning is heard followed by the Issue audio.
4. Press Ctrl-P (hold the control key down and press P) to print a list of tools that
the current employee has issued. . You can also type the word print in upper
or lower case to print the report. Create a barcode label with the word print in
barcode and you can print the report by scanning that barcode.
5. After issuing all tools to this employee, hit the ESC key to clear out the current
employee number.

34
Turning Tools In
1. To check in a tool, all you need to do is enter the alphanumeric tool number.
(Optionally, if you first enter an employee #, the tool will be assigned to that
employee then immediately assigned to no one, to track who turned it in. Also,
while turning in tools, if the employee number is first entered then the Log table
switches to display the list of tools that are out. This helps spot tools that the
employee failed to turn in optional) If you happen to be turning in someone
elses tools then after turning in the first of their tools the table will display the list
of tools still issued to the OTHER person helping to show you if they forgot to
give you all of them.
2. Entering the employee name on turn in also can be used to document the
person performing the turn-in tool inspection.
Note the screen above, the data input box in the upper left of the screen must be
either yellow or green before you can turn in tools. If it is light red then you must
login before you can do much of anything.
3. Tools that have the Issue Multiple and Multiple Tools boxes checked as you see
below may require a slightly different turn in process.

TCMax must know whos tools you are turning in.

a. If you are turning your own items in and your employee number is on the
screen then TCMax will automatically turn yours in.
b. If you are turning in someone elses tools, AND you have already turned
something of theirs that doesnt have these boxes checked then TCMax
assumes that you are turning in things issued to the other employee, and
turns theirs in.
c. If you are turning in someone elses tools, AND you have NOT already
turned in something of theirs then TCMax must ask you whos tools you are
turning in. It does so by displaying the following screen and says Please
select employee. The screen displays everyone that has the item that you
are attempting to turn in. Click in the row of the person/location that had the
item and click the Turn in tools from selected row button.

35
New Tools / New Employees
Whenever a tool or employee is entered that is not in the database TCMax opens
text boxes allowing the user to enter the new data. Fill in each text box as
necessary and press ENTER or TAB to move to the next text box. The new data is
stored in the database for future use. To cancel a new tool or new employee that
was created by mistake, simply hit the ESC key before completely filling out the
new tool / new employee information.
You can click Maintenance/Create New Tool or hit the F3 key to automatically
create a new tool with the next available barcode number. Be sure that the next
barcode number is properly preset from within Preferences before using this option.

Editing Tool or Employee information, when logging in is not required

This capability is hidden and disabled unless the user logs in through the
Maintenance and Log In/Out menu item in the menu bar at the top of the screen.
Once properly logged in, Edit buttons appear in the Employee and Tool areas.
Once a tool barcode number or employee number is entered, the appropriate Edit
button is enabled. Clicking on the Edit button opens text boxes over the
tool/employee data. Make any changes that you want at this time. Press ENTER
or TAB to get through the text boxes and the new data is automatically saved. In
the Calibration Due Date box, pressing the letter T enters todays date. Pressing a
plus adds one day to the date in the box. Pressing a minus subtracts one day from
the date in the box. Pressing an M or a Y adds a Month or a Year to the date in the
box. To cancel changes, press the ESC key.
You will be required to log in using the F12 key and using your employee number
and your password. This is the default mode, requiring you to be logged in to do
anything. If you want all security removed you must go into the Employee
Permissions screen and un-check all boxes for all employees. Then click the X in
the upper right corner to exit the permissions screen. After that logging in only
requires that you hit the F12 key and type FOD in the password box.

36
Issue Identical Tools with same Barcode Number to Different Employees
When you issue a tool that has the Multiple tools with this same barcode number
box checked the program simply issues the tool to the new employee without
turning in the same tool already issued to other employees. Each tool is tracked
separately. Note that you should not use this feature with tools that require
calibration or inspections. If you should scan the same tool again against an
employee that already has this tool issued then TCMax will turn this tool in for this
employee only.

Issue Multiple Tools with a Single Scan

If you should issue tools that have this box checked then TCMax needs to know
how many you want to issue or turn in. The program gives you an Enter Quantity
audio warning then presents an input box on the screen that asks you to enter the
quantity that you want. If you already have at least one of these issued to this
employee then enter a positive number if you wish to issue more 3 (issue three
more) or a negative number if you want to turn some in -3 (turn in three). The
blank database has tool number 141, rags, as an example.

Expendable Items
If you have checked the No Turn-In check box of any tool, that tool no longer is
expected to be turned in. You will find an example of this with tool number 140 in
the blank database. Three new text boxes open up just above the tool check
boxes. They are: Qty, the quantity of the tool or item that currently is in stock;
Reorder Qty, the minimum number of tools required for inventory at any one time.
Any expendable tool that falls below this number will appear in the Reorder
Expendables Report; and Max Qty, this number is used as a maximum level for
inventory. The reorder expendables report calculates how many to order based
upon the maximum quantity minus the number in stock.
When you issue an expendable tool with an employee already displayed TCMax
simply reduces the total quantity in stock, and says the word ISSUE. If you issue
an expendable with no valid employee shown then the tools quantity text box
opens up expecting you to enter the new total quantity that is in stock. This is how
you add newly received expendables to TCMax.
The Expendable Items Reorder Report provides you a quick and easy means to
keep the proper quantity of expendable items in stock at all times. In conjunction
with the Purchase Orders tab you are told exactly what to order and from whom.
Tools that have the Do Not Reorder check box checked and that have minimum
quantity in stock and maximum quantity in stock entered will appear on this report
when you are required to reorder the item.
You can turn in the expendable items if you wish. Simply enter a negative number
when the Issue Quantity prompt comes up. Entering -3 turns in three of the item,
back into inventory.

37
Enter purchase order number, date ordered and quantity ordered. Once on order,
the quantity on order will reflect in the Reorder report. Check the Do Not Reorder
box and this item will be removed from the Reorder report.

How do I start entering data?

Once the software is installed and preferences are set (see page 26) in your
computer you must enter employee and tool data. This can be done two ways.
1. Running the TCMax program, enter employee numbers
a. Any employee number that is not in the system causes the New
Employee prompt to be heard. If you have logged in a text box opens
allowing you to enter the employees name. Press the Escape key to
cancel. Type the employee name then press enter. Now you can type
the next employee number and name. TCMax is shipped with a blank
database that has preferences defaulting to a five character employee
barcode number. If you have NOT logged in, the New Employee audio is
heard but the new employee text box does NOT open. You must be
logged in to enter new employees or new tools.
b. Any alphanumeric tool barcode number that is entered that is not in the
system causes the New Tool prompt to be heard. If you have logged in,
the cursor moves to the Parent Barcode Number box. Press the Escape
to cancel. Enter the appropriate data in each box then press Enter or
TAB. Once you have tabbed beyond the last box the new tool will be

38
 stored in the database. . If you have NOT logged in, the New Tool audio
is heard but the new tool text boxes do NOT open. You must be logged
in to enter new employees or new tools.
You can use the Maintenance/Create New Tool menu option for creating
new tools, or simply hit the F3 key.
2. The second method involves opening the database with Microsoft Access and
enter the data directly. This is not the recommended method.
a. The default location and name of the database is c:\program files\soaring
software solutions\TCMax\TCS.mdb. The database is password
protected.
b. By default, employees are located in the My Employees table. Open
the table and enter employee names and employee numbers. Employee
numbers MUST (unless you checked the box in preferences that allows
the same number of characters) have a certain number digits (the default
is two or five) so if you give an employee the number one you must enter
00001.
c. Tool information is stored in the STOCK table. Enter barcodes in the
BARCODEID field. If you decide to give a tool the number one you must
enter 000001. Since alpha/numeric barcodes are allowed then there is a
difference between 000001 and 0000001. Look at the other field names
and you will easily see the type of data you can enter. Make sure that
you add the SHOP_CODE filed value to match your shop code. This
defaults to Default. Without the appropriate shop code the item will not
be seen by TCMax.

Deleting Demo Tools

1. You also MUST delete the demo data in the database. First you should look
in the Show Tools that are Out screen and write down the barcode
numbers of the few tools that are currently issued. Exit this screen and
simply type the barcode number (and hit Enter) of each tool currently issued,
this will cause TCMax to say Turn In with each one, turning the tool in.
2. Next, click on Maintenance/Database Maintenance to display the database
maintenance screen. There are twenty or so tools loaded as a
demonstration. Delete each of these tools by clicking in the left edge of the
table (this highlights the ENTIRE LINE) and hit your delete key. The line
disappears and the tool is gone forever. Click in the left edge of the table
again for the next tool, highlighting the entire line, and hit your delete key.
Do this with all of our demo tools.

39
Types of Tools & Equipment, a detailed explanation - what boxes do I check?
There are a few ways that a tool or item can be setup in TCMax. The following
paragraphs attempt to explain each type of tool or item. A picture of the Issue Qty
& Purchase Orders tab is displayed for each type of tool. Pay particular attention
to the check boxes as they define how TCMax will process the tool.
Tools that must have a separate barcode for each tool

No boxes are checked.

Use this when only one tool has this barcode number.
Tools like this might be anything taken to an aircraft where if lost you must
know exactly which tool was lost so you know who lost it and exactly where
to search.
In this case if you have several identical tools you must assign a different
barcode number to each tool.
When a valid employee is on the screen, if the tool is in the crib when
scanned then the tool is issued. If the tool is already issued when scanned
then the tool is turned in. If already issued to one person, it is turned in
even though the employee on the screen is different, and in this case the
issue log begins showing you the remaining tools that the other employee
has issued to them.
Examples:
o any tool going to an aircraft
o weapons
o radios & walkie-talkies
o equipment items
o expensive tools like skill saws

40
Tools that are expendable and issued one at a time

No Turn-In box is checked

Anything that you want to issue in single quantities. TCMax tracks who
received the item and where they are taking it but it does not show up in the
issued tools screen and they are not required to return it.
One is deducted from the Qty on Hand box. If the qty on hand falls equal to
or below the Reorder Qty level then the Reorder Qty turns red.
Make an entry in the Max In Stock and Reorder Qty boxes and the Reorder
Report will tell you when you need to reorder the item and it will calculate
how many to order
Examples:
o Safety glasses
o String for a weed eater

Tools that are expendable and issued in multiple quantities

No Turn-In box is checked

Issue multiple of this tool with single scan box is checked
As before, the no turn-in box makes it expendable, the item is issued, logs
track who took it and where it went, and it does not show up on the issued
tools screen.

41
 When scanned the Issue Multiple check box causes TCMax to say Enter
Quantity and a box appears on the screen asking you how many you are
taking. Type or scan the number of these you will take and hit the ENTER
key. TCMax then says Issue telling you that the item was issued.
The appropriate quantity is deducted from the Qty On Hand box.
Examples:
o Toilet paper
o Lumber
o Batteries for a flashlight
o Rolls of tape
o Rubber gloves
o Rags when you dont want them back
Tools or items that you have more than one of but dont require separate
barcode

Multiple tools with this same barcode number is checked

Use this for items that anyone can have, that they can only have one of, and
that you want to have returned
When a valid employee is on the screen and the item is scanned, if this
employee already has one then TCMax will say Turn In and turn the item
in, removing it from the Issued Tools screen. If this employee doesnt have
one than one is issued to them.
Examples:
o Helmets
o Flashlights
o Pagers
o Web Belts, canteens
o Masks

42
Tools or items that you have more than one of, dont require separate
barcode, but employees can have more than one

Multiple tools with this same barcode number box is checked

Issue multiple of this tool with single scan box is checked
Use this for items that anyone can have, they can have more then one, and
you want the items returned
When a valid employee is on the screen and the item is scanned TCMax
always says Enter Quantity asking how many you want.
o To issue some type a positive number, 6 issues six
o To turn them in type a negative number, - 5 turns in five.
The items will show up on the Show tools that are out screen
Examples:
o Shirts, pants, uniforms
o Tools used in general construction i.e. hammers, wrenches for a
bridge builder
Tracking issued items issued for a long term
When you issue something for a long period such as a pager or uniforms enter a
special location such as Long Term when issuing the item. You can use the
TCMax Label Maker program to create such a barcode to save typing it in. So, you
enter an employee number, and Long Term for the location (or a location that
makes sense for your organization), then issue the items.

43
Then go into the Show tools that are out screen and enter Long Term in a line of
the right hand Filters table. (See above) The items with this location will disappear
from the Show tools that are out screen, and they will also disappear from the
Employee Log screen if the appropriate Preferences box is checked, the top box
below must be checked.

In the Show tools that are out screen, clicking the Stop Filter button will display all
issued tools, temporarily removing the filtering action.
Items in vehicles and performing their inventory
If you must perform periodic inventories of items in vehicles, you MUST assign a
different barcode number for the item for EACH vehicle! In each tool/item place in
the Parent Barcode Number box the barcode number of the vehicle that the items
are in. Then when you start the inventory you will:
1. Issue the Parent barcode number, probably the vehicle number.
2. Click the Issue the Children of this Parent menu option
a. This will turn in the parent vehicle
b. Issue everything in the vehicle
3. Scan all items in the vehicle, turning them in
4. When done, anything missing or broken will appear in the Show tools
that are out report.

Tool Barcode Marking Ideas

If you have a small tool crib or tools that wont stand having a barcode number
consider simply writing the barcode on the tool with a black magic marker then
simply typing the tool barcode number in.
Most tool cribs benefit by having an actual barcode either attached to the tool or to
the drawer that the tool is stored in. Barcodes that have six digits make a
conveniently small barcode label. Barcodes that are over 12 digits start to need a
label at least two inches long.
Label material is available pre-barcoded from a number of companies in a number
of formats. Avery labels work in many shops however you may want to consider
printing on vinyl labels or purchasing pre-barcoded plastic or metal labels. Contact
us for our current recommended sources of supply.

44
Broken Tools, How to track them
It is easy to track broken tools. Issue the tool to anyone but in the Work Location
box enter the word Broken, upper or lower case. In the Show Tools that are Out
screen, make sure that the word Broken is listed in the Locations Filtered table in
the upper right. You can even make an employee number up for your local tool
salesman and issue the broken tools to them if you like but it is not necessary.
When issued to the work location Broken, TCMax automatically checks the
Broken check box in the lower part of the tool information screen. This causes the
tool to appear on the Broken Report. When the tool is repaired or replaced and
you turn the tool in, the Broken check box is automatically un-checked.
The broken tool remains issued until replaced or repaired. The Show Tools that are
Out screen or the Broken Report will show you the broken tools that currently need
attention.
A complete history of all broken tools is available by running the History of Issue
Turn in by Location report and enter the location Broken.

If the Option has been selected to Enter Expected Return Date from
Preferences
If you have selected the Expected Return Date option from within preferences you
will see a slightly different main screen.

Note that the Employee side (left) of the screen has an additional item after Work
Location titled Return Date. This date defaults to todays date. Issuing tools is very
similar to the previous example.
b. Enter an employee number
c. Enter a work location
d. Enter the date that you expect the tool to return
e. Enter tool barcode numbers
Entering this date allows you to view a report of all tools that have not returned as
expected.
Certified Employees tab
Certain tools may require that an employee be certified before they can use the
tools. TCMax allows you to check the Certification before use check box on the
Inspections & Misc. tab of tools. Once checked, you enter your employee numbers
of certified employees via the Certified Employees tab.

45
To enter an employee in the list of employees that are certified to use a tool:
2. Scan the tool barcode.
3. Click the Edit button to be allowed to edit tool information.
4. Click in the box in the upper right of the Certified Employees tab as you see
above.
5. Scan or enter the employee number, the employees name appears in the table.
6. Enter the date certified and the date that the certification expires. If the
certification never expires simply enter a date 30 years from now such as
1/1/2035.
To delete employees from the list, first enter the edit mode as in steps 1-3 above.
Click in the very left edge of the table, in the column that you see the black arrow
above. The entire row is highlighted. Hit the Delete key, and that employee is
removed from the list for this tool only.
Separate entries must be made for every tool and every employee certified for that
tool.
Employees whose certification has lapsed are highlighted in RED as you see
above.
When you try to issue a tool to an employee that is not certified TCMax responds by
playing a Employee Certification Required audio warning and the tool is NOT
issued.

Warning Backup the Database Regularly

Please backup your database on a regular basis. Copy the TCS.mdb database file
to another computers hard drive, to a floppy drive, CD-R, CD-RW, or tape. Backup
often, at least once a week and preferably once every day.

46
Menu Items
The menu bar across the top of the main screen offers the following features:
Exit
As it says, click here and the program terminates
Maintenance
Some of the following menu items require a password to allow editing or printing,
the password is entered by clicking here.

47
Log In/Out:
Click the Log In/Out menu item or press F12 and enter your employee number
(press TAB or ENTER) and enter your password and press ENTER (the blank
database has an employee 01 with a password of 01 (zero one). The password
FOD in upper or lower case can be used only if all permissions have been removed
from all employees. To log out just press F12 and ENTER. The password FOD will
not work if you have set employee permissions (the default). Then you will be
required to enter your employee number and your password.
Tool Search
This menu option brings up a search screen that allows you to see all of your tools
and filter them by the fields as shown below.

Enter text in any of the filter text boxes and hit TAB or ENTER and the table below
immediately shows you only the entries that have matching text somewhere in that
field. In the example above, entering SOCK in the Tool Name box causes the grid
to immediately reduce to any tools that have the word Socket in the tool name.
If you want to display that tool in the main tool screen simply click in its row first,
anywhere in the row. Then click the Display this tool on main screen button. The
search screen disappears and the main screen gets this tool displayed. The tool is
NOT issued. To issue the tool you must enter its barcode again.
If you have permission to access the Database Maintenance screen then you will
be allowed to Edit and Update data from this tool search table, as you can in the
Database Maintenance screen. If you make any mistakes, hit the Esc key before
you change rows. Once you change rows the data is permanently changed.
This same search screen is available in the Label Maker program to ease the
selection for printing groups of labels.
Log Search
This menu option brings up a search screen that allows you to see log entries
created by any issue or turn in action and filter them by the fields as shown below.

48
Enter text in any of the filter text boxes and hit TAB or ENTER and the table below
immediately shows you only the entries that have matching text somewhere in that
field. In the example above, entering 5/30 in the Date box causes the grid to
immediately reduce to any actions that happened on 5/30. Click the Print button to
print a matching report.
New Tool Barcode Numbers
There is a menu option under Maintenance titled Create New Tool (F3). New tools
can be created simply by entering a tool barcode number that the system does not
recognize. A second way to create a new tool entry is to click the Create New Tool
menu option or hit the F3 key. When you click it TCMax looks in the database for
the next available barcode number and then creates the new blank tool with this
barcode number.
The top two boxes of this preferences screen tell you what that next barcode
number will be. The prefix can be alpha/numeric. The default is blank. The suffix
must be numeric. If you want your tool barcode numbers to be all numeric then
leave the prefix box blank. If you want your barcodes to be six digits long but want
to start with the number one thousand then you should enter 001000 in the suffix
box. If you want to use three digit barcodes and want to start with the barcode
number one then you should enter 001 in the suffix box.
TCMax automatically checks the database entry each time you click the Create
New Tool menu option, for the next barcode number. This way you can be entering
new tools from multiple computers and there will be no conflicts.
If you should accidentally click the Create New Tool option or decide not to enter it
at this time, then you should simply hit the ESC key and the new tool vanishes and
the next available tool barcode number is reset to the old number if possible.

49
Preferences:
Select Preferences to enter your License Password, setup your employee barcode
requirements, change screen size, or change calibration warning lead time. See
page 21 for details on setting your preferences.

Database Maintenance:
The easiest way to maintain the database is to use Microsoft Access. However,
we have included a screen that allows you to edit, add, or delete records. You can
get to this screen by first enabling the edit features. Be sure you are logged in.
Then click on the menu items Maintenance/Database Maintenance. Select the
appropriate table from the drop down box and edit your tables as necessary. You
may drag column widths and the program will remember the width for the next time
you select database maintenance.
When you select the LOG table, a menu option appears at the top of the screen that
will start the process of allowing you to delete old LOG records. Click the Delete
old LOG table records menu option and the following appears on the screen.

You must retain at least 30 days of records. Enter the number of days that you
want to retain, the default is 180, then click the Delete Log Records button. You will
be given one more chance to cancel this operation. If you accept that message box
then the selected LOG records will be deleted.
Set Employee Access Permissions
Access to the items listed below will only be allowed when an employee logs in.
Clicking this menu item causes the Permission to Access Screens display to
appear. Start typing an employee name and the name will appear. Enter their
password. Another password box will appear for you to confirm the password. Be
sure to give at least one employee rights to this screen, the sixth item down
in the list. Once you click Done, an employee with the appropriate access level
must login before that feature will be allowed. To login, click on Maintenance/Log
In/Out. Enter your employee number in the User Name box and your password in
the Password box. The employee that is logged in will appear just above the main

50
input box in the upper left corner of the screen. You can also press the F12 key
rather than clicking on the menu. The F12 key will bring the login box if no one is
logged in, it will instantly log out anyone logged in.

Import / Export
Clicking Import/Export brings you to a screen that can be used to merge or copy
TCMax databases.
The MERGE method is intended for customers that must monitor remote TCMax
installations. It will automatically merge Calibration Due Date, Inspection, and
Quantity changes, always choosing the one that was changed last. It also adds all
new records to the other database, in both directions. For Employee names and
LOG entries it only copies data from the Source to the Destination database.
The COPY method is generally intended for our military customers to be able to
easily combine databases when deploying multiple tool cribs. There are many
ways to build a TDY database. To begin you should create a TDY database. This
can most easily be done by clicking the Create copy of current TCS.mdb database
in a separate TDY directory button. This simply copies your current database
(usually found in c:\Program Files\Soaring Software Solutions\TCMax and creates a
new directory titled \TDY Database\ within your current directory.
The Duplicate from Source method will duplicate a set of tools using a different set
of barcode numbers and a different shop code all within the Source database. It is
used when an organization has duplicate sets of equipment spread out between
large areas such as county response equipment, corporate facilities in other
locations, etc.

51
There are two databases that you will work with, Source and Destination. You
need to select source and destination databases by clicking the appropriate button,
navigate to the database and double click on the database.
Merge
Merging is based upon your shop code. If you have multiple remote locations that
you will periodically merge their source data into your master destination database
then you should assign each remote location their own shop code. This shop
code keeps the data separate in the master database. All database records
maintain this shop code. If you manually enter data be sure that each record gets
their appropriate shop code.
The source database will be a copy of a remote users TCS.mdb database. The
destination will be your master TCS.mdb database. Type the shop code of the
Source database in the box just to the right of MERGE. Click on the Merge two
databases button. TCMax compares the dates that changes were made to all
STOCK records and updates either database as necessary. Then it copies all new
employees from the Source to the Destination. Last it copies all new LOG entries
from the Source to the Destination.

52
Copy
To select the tools that should be copied you must click in a field in the Source
table. Clicking in any text field such as STORAGE, USER,
LAST_WORK_LOCATION causes the program to be prepared to copy all records
with a similar entry. For example, lets say that you issue all of your tools to a
location called RED FLAG, and you want all of those tools to be copied to your
TDY database. Scroll down the LAST_WORK_LOCATION column until you find a
RED FLAG entry. Click in that cell. Then click the Copy all tools with matching
selected cell to destination database button, and the matching records will be
copied into the Destination database. The computer will make no distinction based
on capitalization, RED FLAG and Red flag are the same.
TCMax will not duplicate items with the same BARCODEID or Employee Number.
Once done, copy the TCS.mdb destination directory to the computer that you will
use when deployed.
Duplicate in Source Database
To create a duplicate set of data that can be used in a different location you select a
Source database. Then enter the SHOP CODE that is to be duplicated, enter the
New Shop Code that the duplicate data set is to be assigned to, and the barcode
prefix and suffixes to be used. Note, you are not allowed to duplicate barcode
numbers. Then click the Duplicate Tools button. The duplicate data will be
generated, keeping the parent/child relationships correct.
Synchronize Pocket PC
This menu item will bring in to your TCS.mdb main database all of the changes that
result from scanning or entering tools with your Pocket PC, if you are using this
option. It then clears out the pocket pc log and updates all tool and inspection data
with any changes made in TCMax itself. Once you complete this synchronization
you must bring up Microsoft ActiveSync and click the Sync button which will
place the updated data back into the pocket pc.

Tool Quick Turn @ Shift Change

This menu item is only enabled if you have a valid employee number already
showing. When this employee is coming on the new shift and wants to take control
of all of the tools of another employee without having to scan them all through the
system then click on this menu item. You can also select to take control of all tools
that have been previously issued to a certain location. This screen is displayed.
Once you enter an employee number or a location (flightline in example below) then
the grid fills.

53
The cursor is waiting for you to scan or enter an employee number or scan an ID
card. Once a valid employee is entered the table below fills with the tools that the
employee already has issued. Alternately you can enter a location in the Location
to Transfer Tools From box. The Check to Transfer box of each tool is already
checked. Un-check any tools that you dont want to transfer. If you want a printed
list you must click the Print This List button before transferring the tools. See page
91 for an example report. Click the Transfer Checked Tools button and the tools in
the table that were checked disappear from this table and now appear assigned to
the employee on the main screen.
Show Tools that are out
Click here and a screen opens that displays all of the tools that have been issued
but not turned in. A menu item in the upper left corner allows the user to print this
report. No password is required.

54
The report is filtered by employee numbers and/or locations that appear in the
tables in the upper right of the screen. If you dont want certain issued tools to
appear in the report simply add their employee number to the Filter: Remove These
Users from Report table or add their current location to the Filter: Remove These
Locations from Report table. For example, lets say you use 99998 as the user
named PMEL. You can issue tools to the employee PMEL (99998) when they go
to the lab. If 99998 is not in the filter table then all of the PMEL items appear in the
report, confusing anyone wanting to know what needs to be turned in on shift
change. Entering 99998 in the Filter table causes all PMEL items to disappear from
the tools issued report. To quickly see all tools that are issued (remove the filter)
click on the Stop Filter button. This temporarily removes the filters and displays all
tools. Click the button again REVERSES the filter, meaning that you now only see
those items that are listed in the filter boxes. Clicking the button again causes the
original filter to be immediately restored. Once you enter employee numbers and/or
locations you must click the Refresh Table button.

Performing a physical inventory of your tools or other assets

Physical Inventory, two methods
One method (best mode when some of the items are already issued to someone)
used to perform an inventory is to change the mode of operation to the Inventory

55
Mode. See the Mode menu items on page 62. This does not issue any tools. It
does update the total quantity of tools in stock. You can look at the inventory
reports to see items that have or have not been inventoried. However, you MUST
use this mode if any of the items that you are inventorying are already issued to
someone!
A second mode (to be used only when the items that you are inventorying are not
already issued to anyone and do not appear in the Show Tools that are Out screen)
can be used when all things that you plan to inventory have the same parent
barcode number. This works well when inventorying items in a room, building, or all
of the tools in a single tool box.
1. Scan the tool box number or room number (the parent of all items that you are
about to inventory) and issue it to yourself. The Pocket PC version, if in the
Physical Inventory mode, will say Yes to issue Children. Click Yes.
2. Click on the Perform Inventory menu option then the Issue Children of this Item
menu option or the Issue Children and Grand Children of this item menu option,
answer Yes to the prompt. This causes all of the tools in the box or things in a
room (children) to be issued and the box or room itself (parent) is turned in. TCMax
is taken out of the Issue/Turn In mode and placed into the Physical Inventory mode.
3. Now you scan the barcodes of everything in the box or room, turning everything
in and listening for Turn In to be played with each barcode scan. When you are
complete you can look at the Show tools that are out screen. It will show you
anything that you missed. Also, if you should scan anything that does not belong
in the box or room then TCMax will say Issue prompting you that it does not
belong there! It does this because the item that you just scanned doesnt have the
same parent barcode number as the tool box or room. If you decide to leave the
item in this room or box you can immediately scan it again so that you hear Turn In
and edit the Parent Barcode Number to the current parent.
Again, issuing the children of the parent allows you to quickly issue all items in a
room or tool box. Turning them back in one at a time by scanning their barcode is
an amazingly fast and efficient way to perform the inventory. TCMax reports the
items that you missed or that are unserviceable or missing. TCMax also tells you
by saying Issue rather than Turn In that an item belongs in another box or room
(has a different parent).
Expendable (No Turn In) items will issue and be placed in the Issued Tools list as
well, only when in the Physical Inventory mode.
Whenever you turn in a quantity that is more than you already have on hand,
TCMax will increase the quantity field appropriately.
The Pocket PC version of TCMax has this same mode of operation!
The Physical Inventory mode, simple example

1. Enter or scan your container number (building, room, vehicle, trailer, tool box,
etc.)

56
The computer says "Yes to issue Children?", you click Yes and everything in the
container is instantly issued to you
2. Scan every barcode in sight listening to the computer say "Turn In"
If the computer says "Turn In", you don't even need to look at the computer screen,
just scan the next item's barcode
If the computer says "Issue" than this item belongs in a different container, change
the Parent Barcode or move it to the proper container. Scan it again so it says
Turn In
If the computer says "Enter Quantity", it will display how many of that item should
be there. Count them and enter the number that you found.
3. When you think that you are done click the "Show tools that are out" screen.
Everything that you missed (or is missing) is on this list.
That is all there is to it. Performing a complete physical inventory can not possibly
be easier, faster, or more accurate!

Reports:

57
Many of the reports are automatically titled differently if you change the tools
caption for that field. For example, if you change the TMDE check box caption to
Frozen because this item must be kept frozen, then the TMDE Report above
becomes the Frozen Report.
Certain reports may be limited to a certain date and time. Those reports have an
asterisk (*) in front of their title. Enter a date and optionally a time in the boxes to
the mid right of the screen then run your report.
The Fixed Assets box can be used to limit the reports to items above a certain
value.
All reports can be saved in Adobe .pdf and Excel .xls format by checking the Create
Report.pdf & Report.xls when report closes check box. The first time that you
check this box, TCMax will ask you where you want to save the reports. There
must be at least one file of some kind located wherever you want them saved. Use
the Open File dialog box to navigate to that location and double click on the file.
This can be located on any drive, in any folder. If you decide at some later time to
save them someplace else, locate the c:\program files\Soaring Software
Solutions\TCMax\PDFPath.ini file, and delete it.
Tool Inventory with Separate Page per Location
This report groups tools by location, printing a complete inventory of all tools in the
database
Tools issued to a particular employee
Use this report to print packing lists when you deploy. When packing your tools,
create a fake employee with the name of the deployment. Each time you load a
piece of equipment or toolbox on the pallet, scan the deployment employee, then
enter the pallet number or increment number for its location. Then scan the
equipment. When you finish packing, run this report entering the employee number
that was used to issue all of the equipment and tools. The report develops a
separate page for each pallet. It also calculates the total weight an cube for each
pallet.
Tools issued to a particular location
Use this report when you have issued a number of tools to one location. It reports
all tools, sorted by the employee that they were issued to. Military units packing for
a deployment can use this report as a packing list complete with total weight and
cube. See page 65 for details.
TMDE Status
The status of all TMDE (equipment requiring calibration) items is displayed, sorted
by Cal Due Date, the oldest at the top of the list. Editing of the data and printing are
not allowed unless the password was entered through the Maintenance screen.

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CACRL List
The status of all CACRL (Air Force acronym for accountable equipment) items is
displayed, sorted by mobility increment number. Editing of the data and printing are
not allowed unless the password was entered through the Maintenance screen.
History of issue/turn-in
This report allows a user to display and/or print the entire history of any tool from
the tool issue LOG. Pressing Tool History brings up a small screen that asks you to
enter a barcode number. Enter the barcode number then press the Run Report
key. The report displays date and time that any user issued the tool or turned it in
along with the location that was entered. No password is required.
History of issue/turn-in by location
Find part of a tool in a location? Run this report, giving the location and it tells you
every tool ever taken to the location, and who took it. Trace down that broken tool
given the location the part was found in.
Inspection Report
Simply a list of tools that require an inspection, sorted by the one most overdue.
Broken Tool Report and Warranty Tool Report
These list either broken tools or warranty tools. The broken tool report gives you a
total value of the broken tools.
Expendable Items Reorder Report
Tools that have the Do Not Reorder check box checked and that have minimum
quantity in stock and maximum quantity in stock entered will appear on this report
when you are required to reorder the item.

59
Enter purchase order number, date ordered and quantity ordered. Once on order,
the quantity on order will reflect in the Reorder report. Check the Do Not Reorder
box and this item will be removed from the Reorder report.

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Inventory and Special Inventory Reports
These reports react to your scanning tools while in the Inventory or Special
Inventory modes. TCMax must be placed in the inventory or special inventory
mode, see page 62.

Clicking the Mode= menu option reveals the various modes of operation.
Performing an Inventory and Modes of Operation
Issue / Turn In Mode
This is the normal mode used for all issuing and turning of anything. Once you
switch to another mode of operation you can return to the normal Issue / Turn In
mode by clicking this menu option. When you shut down TCMax and re-start
TCMax, it always reverts to the default Issue / Turn In mode.
Physical Inventory Mode
This works the like the Issue/Turn in mode except when scanning an item that has
the Issue Multiple and Multiple barcodes menu options checked. In this case
TCMax says Enter Quantity as it would in the issue/turn in mode. However, in the
issue/turn in mode it always prompts you with the number one (1) guessing that you
want one issued. In the Physical Inventory mode TCMax will prompt you with the
quantity of items that it expects you to find at that location, proceeded with a minus
symbol. For example, if you have four hoses, TCMax will ask you to Enter Quantity
and have -4 in the box. If all four are there you just hit enter. If one is missing then
you change the -4 to -3 and hit enter.
The Physical Inventory mode was designed to quickly issue everything in a
building/trailer/truck/tool box with one click. Then you scan everything is sight,
listing for Turn In confirming that the item was found in the database correctly. If
an item is in the wrong location (has the wrong Parent Barcode number) then you
will hear Issue. When an item has the Multi tool box and Issue Multiple boxes
checked then you are prompted with Enter Quantity and the correct number of
items already in the box ready for turn in. The goal was to make physical
inventories as fast and accurate as possible.

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Inventory and Special Inventory Mode
When either of these modes are selected, tools are NOT issued when scanned.
TCMax updates the inventory date or special inventory date in the tool table. These
dates are reflected in four inventory reports and will show you tools that have had
and have not had an inventory within a given period. It also updates the quantity in
stock. If the item has the No Turn In box checked TCMax will ask Enter
Quantity. The quantity entered will be placed in the Quantity in stock value for
that tool. If the Multiple tools with this same barcode number box is checked then
the quantity in stock becomes the total of the quantity entered plus the total number
of these tools already issued.
Receive Inventory Mode
Select the Receive Inventory mode when you are receiving existing items into
stock. When you scan or type a barcode TCMax will respond with Enter Quantity.
This quantity will be added to the value already in stock and the computer will say
Inventory
Inspection Update Mode
Select this mode to quickly update any inspection requirements for any tool. When
a tool is scanned that has a valid inspection requirement the inspection date is
automatically updated to todays date plus the interval displayed for that inspection.
If there are multiple inspections assigned to this tool then TCMax goes into the Edit
mode and the inspections table is displayed. From there you can click on a single
inspection and update it by clicking on the Update Selected button, or you can
update them all by clicking on the Update All button. The computers speakers
respond with Inspection updated.
The Pocket PC version of TCMax works exactly the same way.

Other Features
Cal Due Date
The calibration due date is entered in the format mm/dd/yyyy meaning
Month/Day/Year or the format specified by your Windows Regional Settings.
Warning Backup the Database Regularly (have we said this enough?)
Please backup your database on a regular basis. Copy the TCS.mdb database file
to another computers hard drive, to a floppy drive, CD-R, CD-RW, or tape. Backup
often, at least once a week and preferably once every day.
Network Capabilities and Location of the database
By default, you must locate the TCS.mdb database in your C:\Program
Files\Soaring Software Solutions\TCMax directory. The database can be moved
and placed in any directory, including a shared directory on your network but you
must also move the DatabasePassword.ini file. Multiple shops can run this
software on their computers, all accessing the same database located on your
network. There is a file named "Tpath.ini" located in your tool control programs

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directory (default C:\Program Files\Soaring Software Solutions\TCMax). This file
must be modified on each computer to point to the location of the TCS.mdb
database. Start Windows Explorer, navigate to the Tpath.ini file. Double click on
it. You will see the following:

' The following is the path to the TCS.mdb database ...

' Each computer must be told the location of the database from the
' of the individual computer.
C:\Program Files\Soaring Software Solutions\TCMax

Leave the commented (') lines alone. Change the last line to point to the location of
your database. I.E.
Y:\LG\AGS\TOOL
The above example tells the tool control software to look in that directory for the
database. Again, there is no limit to the number of computers or shops that can
access the same database simultaneously.
The alternate method of telling TCMax where your database is located is to delete
the Tpath.ini file. The next time you start the TCMax program it will tell you your
database is missing. Click OK then use the file selector box to navigate to the
location of the database. Double click on the TCS.mdb file and the new Tpath.ini
will automatically be created and updated.
Wherever you move the database, you must also move the file titled
DatabasePassword.ini. That file must always be located in the same directory as
the TCS.mdb database file.

Hardware requirements
This software will run on a 486 computer but it will be very, very slow. Like all
modern Windows software, is happier with a Pentium and plenty of RAM. It
requires Windows 98 second edition, NT, 2000, or XP. A sound card is
considered mandatory. During the use of other tool control software, which
prompted this programs development, the scanning of barcodes for tools,
employee numbers, or equipment locations always required looking at the computer
monitor to be sure that we were entering the correct thing. TCMax provides audio
feedback so the operator can hear a response from the computer and continue
scanning items as quickly as possible. Although TCMax is designed to use
barcodes for all entries, you can manually enter the data (tools, employees,
locations) at any time. Your display should be set for 800 x 600 resolution,
however, all other resolutions have been implemented in this version. A Pentium
1.2 Ghz and 512 meg of ram, sound card and speakers should be considered
a minimum requirement. A Pentium 2.0 gig and 512 meg of ram is ideal.

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Barcode, Employee #, Location conventions
Barcode types
Code 128 allows all of the characters that this software requires, and allows the
printing of labels as small as .25 x .5. However, the TCMax software does not
care which barcode type you use. The only requirement is that the scanner must
read the barcode and send a carriage return!
Tools
TCMax is designed to use any alphanumeric numbers to identify tools.
Organizations that will share tools with others should coordinate the barcodes for
tools for these organizations. Duplicate tool barcodes are not allowed.
Locations
Locations for tool use can be entered simply by typing a location and pressing
ENTER or TAB. The TCMax Label Maker may be used to make barcodes that
speed the entry of locations.

Database Compatibility and Password

Both TCMax and TCMax Label Maker are compatible with Office 97 and Office
2003 versions of Microsoft Access databases. The blank database shipped with
this software is in Office 2000 format but you can convert it to Office 97 if you like.
The database is shipped with a password assigned. You can assign a different
password if you like however you MUST FIRST contact Soaring Software Solutions,
Inc and give us the password that you intend to use. We will return a file titled
DatabasePassword.ini that will contain an encrypted form of your password. That
file must be placed in the same directory as your TCS.mdb database file. After
placing the DatabasePassword.ini file there you can change the database
password. This service will be provided to any licensed TCMax user with a current
annual service agreement.
Database modifications for your tools.
The information for each tool is located in the table named STOCK. You can
examine the data in this table, using it to evaluate this software. When you are
comfortable with the design of this program, delete all of STOCKs records. If you
are currently running tool control software, find one of your local computer experts
and get them to import your old data into the STOCK table. While they are at it,
have them import your units employee names and employee numbers into the
MY_EMPLOYEES table. Then delete all of the records in the LOG table. If you are
converting from another companys software, email us a copy of your database and
we will attempt to convert the data for you.
Program Updates
When you receive an update to the TCMax programs you may have to make
changes to the database. Install the changes. Before running TCMax click on
Start\Programs\Soaring Software Solutions\TCMax and click on

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TCMaxDatabaseUpdate. Click the run button. It will perform all necessary updates
to your database for the new version of TCMax.
Packing for Mobility, for our military customers
This software provides you the capability to print complete packing lists including
total weight and cube for the increment or pallet. If you have taken the time to place
height, length, width, and weight in each of your equipments tool entries then use
the following process:
Assign an employee number with the name of your deployment.
Enter the pallet number or increment number that you are putting the equipment
item on, in the Location block.
Issue all equipment as it goes out the door to be loaded on the pallet.
Run the Tools issued to a particular employee grouped by location report. It will
sort all equipment by increment number, each increment getting a separate page.
The total weight and cube will be found on the bottom of the report.
Inspection Requirements Table
Enter the text description and next due date in the Inspection Requirements table.
Inspections that are overdue are displayed in RED and also cause the Inspection
Overdue audio to be heard. An Inspection Report is available from the Other
Reports menu item.

Warning Backup the Database Regularly

Have we said this enough? Please backup your database on a regular basis. Copy
the TCS.mdb database file to another computers hard drive, to a floppy drive, CD-
R, CD-RW, or tape. Backup often, at least once a week and preferably once every
day.

Programming your Barcode Scanner to allow Scanning of ID Cards

If you purchased a barcode scanner from Soaring Software Solutions, Inc. for your
software package, it will have been programmed before it was delivered to you and
you can skip this section. For proper operation of the TCMax software your barcode
scanner must be programmed to send a carriage return after all scanned
characters. You can test the programming by starting one of your word processing
programs such as Microsoft Word and scan any UPC code from an inventory item.
You should see the UPC numbers appear with breaks between numbers and
without special characters. For example, if you scan 1239876 three times you
should see:
1239876
1239876
1239876
If you see:
123987612398761239876. then the scanner is NOT programmed properly.

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Again, there should be a carriage return after each set of characters.

SQL Server Database Setup on the Server

If you are using SQL Server for a database rather than our Microsoft Access
database use the following as a guide to install the database.
Each computer with TCMax installed must have a file titled TCSSQLCONNECT.ini
located in the directory where you find TCMax.exe. A sample was included in your
installation titled TCSSQLCONNECTsample.ini. In this text file you must place the
connection string to the server and the database. The next paragraph is an
example. The connection string must NOT include any passwords.
Provider=SQLOLEDB.1;Persist Security Info=False;User ID=TCMax;Initial
Catalog=TCS;Data Source=DELL2R4;Use Procedure for Prepare=1;Auto
Translate=True;Packet Size=4096;Workstation ID=DELL2R4;Use Encryption for
Data=False;Tag with column collation when possible=False
Open the TCS.mdb Access database using Microsoft Access. Use the Upsizing
Wizard to create a copy of this database in your SQL Server. Select All Tables
when you do this. Title the SQL Server database TCS (to match the catalog=
statement above) .
Create a User named TCMax and give them full rights with our standard database
password. You can give a different password if you like but we must supply the
DatabasePassword.ini file with an encrypted version of your password.

SQL Server Connection String for client computers

A SQL Server connection string can be built on client computers by using the
following instructions on the client:
If you use the following instructions it should develop a connection string that you
can paste into my TCMaxSQLCONNECT.ini file you should remove the word
Sample from the name of the file if necessary. Remember that the
DatabasePassword.ini file must remain in your TCMax directory.

1. Create a blank Text file and save it as a .udl (like Connect.udl) on the desktop of
the client computer.
2. Double click to open the file and then a Data Link Properties dialog box will
appear on the screen.
3. Connect to the data source by:
a. Click the Provider tab and select SQL Server
b. Click the Connection tab.
c. Select the server name that the database is on
d. Click Use a specific user name and password
e. Enter TCMax in the User name box
f. Enter ******* (Obviously enter the password, not just a bunch of stars) in
the password box, or what ever password your IT person set.

66
 g. Select the database on the server by clicking the dropdown and clicking
on TCS (the name of the database) or whatever your IT person named
the database
4. Test connection by clicking the Test Connection button. If the connection was
not successful then your IT person setup the TCS database differently or didnt
setup a user as instructed. If it was successful then proceed with the following
instructions. Please note that we automatically generate the Password by
reading our encrypted version of the password out of our DatabasePassword.ini
file. If you should choose to change the password then you must notify Soaring
Software Solutions, Inc. and give us the password. We will encrypt that and
send you the new DatabasePassword.ini file back.
5. Click OK to close.
6. Open the file with notepad (right click on the file and click on Open With), and
the connection string to the data source appears.
7. Copy this and paste it into our TCMaxSQLCONNECT.ini file located in the
TCMax program directory. If you find this file named
TCMaxSQLCONNECTsample.ini you must save it and re-name it by removing
the word sample from within the file name.
8. Start TCMax and all should be well.

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Label Maker Program

Operation of the label maker program requires three basic steps

1. Load or define the label dimensions.
2. Load or enter data to be printed on the labels
3. Print the labels

Step 1. Load Label Definition

Pre-Defined Labels Included with the TCMax Label Maker Program
A number of label definitions are included with your Label Maker program. Use
them as examples to help you define your labels. When going from one type of
printer to another you should only have to adjust left and top margins.

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There are many label material manufacturers and types of label sizes. TCMax
Label Maker can be setup for any type of label on any printer that has a Windows
driver. We highly recommend the Polyester laser labels from www.barcodehq.com.
They are strong, smudge-proof, water and heat resistant and available in many
sizes. Their part number WP0571 is .5 by 1.75, same as an Avery return address
label. We also can provide custom polyester labels, for example .375 by 1.5 for
special tool box inserts.
Avery 5267 Tool Label
This is used to print inventory labels. The Avery 5167 is inch tall and 1 inch
wide. This is the smallest commercial label currently available that has adequate
space for a barcode and two lines of text. When printed, your tool labels will
automatically have your message for top of label on the top line above the barcode.
The label setup displayed on the previous page is for the Dymo LabelWriter 330
Turbo that allows you to print individual labels quickly without wasting paper. See
page 73 for a list of Printer Definitions and the numbers that should work for your
printer.
Employees
This defines a label size used when printing sets of employee names used for quick
entry with the TCMax program. It is intended to print on plain 8 x 11 paper, not
label stock. It prints barcodes which are to be made up of the unit designator (slash
in the example) followed by the employee number. Put the employee name in the
second column. You should always enter the number one in the quantity to print
column. Use this same definition to print Locations.

Step 2 Loading Data: Tools, Employees, or Locations

Once you have your label dimensions defined you can load data. The left column
of the grid is where you enter the information that the barcode scanner will read.
The center column information is displayed on the bottom of the barcode label, right
after the barcode number. The third column tells the printer how many labels to
print of this particular barcode label.
Tool barcodes and their descriptions can be loaded automatically by clicking on the
menu item File/Load Inventory Barcodes & Descriptions.
There is a Tool Search screen that you can use to select tools.
Tool Label Printing Format
When you load tools another option appears on the Label Maker screen titled Tool
Label Printing Format. If you select the Barcode Description format then the
TCMax Label Maker uses the label setup as you see on your screen. If you click
the other option, TCMax tool label format then the label maker uses the label
definition that is in your TCMax program, designed to print single labels. Use this if
you want more than the barcode number and description to appear on your tool
labels. Employee / Location style works for printing sheets of labels with employee

69
numbers or locations as it doesnt print the barcode number, just whatever is in the
description column. And the Barcode only format is used to drive a laser engraver.
Employee Number labels
Employee numbers and their names can be loaded into the grid automatically by
clicking on the menu item File/Load Employee Names & Employee Numbers.
Location Labels
Location data may be manually entered into the grid. Usually the same text goes
into the Barcode Number column and the Description column. Just type your
locations in both the barcode column and the description column and set the
number of labels to one. See the example below.

Label Definition Group

Basic Label Definition
The basic definition is entered using Title (for reference only), number of columns,
number of rows, left margin, right margin and font size. The margins will probably
have to be changed to fit your printers physical limits. See page 73 for a list of
Printer Definitions and the numbers that should work for your printer. Note these
definitions may not work properly with newer print drivers.
Barcode Style
You can also select the barcode style which defaults to Code 128. This code
handles alphanumeric characters well and creates a small barcode. You can also
select the PDF-417 or DataMatrix 2-D barcodes, or other 2-D barcodes however
those take a special scanner typically with an imager.
DataMatrix Cell Size
This controls the size of a DataMatrix barcode. Normal barcode imagers that are
designed to read DataMatrix barcodes will require a cell size of 15 to 20. Soaring
Software Solutions, Inc. can provide barcode scanners that will read much smaller
barcodes. A cell size of 8 produces a 9 digit barcode approximately .1 inch square

70
but requires our special scanner. When printing small barcodes be sure to increase
the resolution on your printers driver as high as possible.
Center barcode on left edge
This box causes the barcode to be centered vertically but aligned along the left
edge of the label. Then you set the next box Distance from barcode left edge to
text box to what will be the left edge of all text. Now, all text prints to the right of
the barcode. This feature only works with the Barcode-Description and Barcode
number & Storage Location only label formats.
Distance from Barcode Top to Description Top
This allows you to adjust the placement of descriptions below the barcodes,
required for some printers and some barcode types. You should start with a value
similar to the Barcode Height value, and adjust from there.
Column Spacing Definition
Distance between columns and label width boxes sets the column spacing for your
sheet of labels
Row Spacing Definition
Distance between rows and label height sets the row spacing for your sheet of
labels.

Other features
First Page Rows Remaining use with caution!
If you print labels and dont use all of the rows on a sheet, you can put the partially
used sheet back in your printer and use the rest of the labels. Just enter the
number of COMPLETE ROWS remaining on the sheet. The printer will
automatically begin printing on the first complete row to the end of the sheet.
Following sheets start at row one as usual. Soaring Software Solutions, Inc does
NOT recommend re-using partially used sheets of label paper. This feature was
only added knowing that some customers will chance printer damage in order to
save a tree. Your printer may jam or may be damaged through the use of this
feature.
Load Range from your inventory into grid
Use this option to quickly print any sequences of barcode labels from items already
in your inventory list. The barcode numbers that you have in inventory are
automatically loaded into the two combo boxes. Select the first barcode number,
and the last barcode number and click the Add sequence from inventory into grid
button. Those barcodes are loaded. If you want to print more, simply select their
range and click the button again. They will all be added. Once you are done, you
can click the Print Labels from Grid button to print your labels.
You can Limit the selection drop down boxes to a parent barcode number or a
location by entering the appropriate data into the Limit to this Parent or Limit to this
Storage Location boxes then make your selection from the dropdown boxes.

71
Print simple sequence of barcodes
Use this to print general-purpose labels for other uses. Enter numbers or
characters in the Prefix box as required for your barcodes.
Label Defined and Data Entered
Once you have defined your label dimensions and entered data into the grid the
screen will appear similar to the screen below. Clicking on the Print Labels from
Grid button will cause labels to print from the default printer. This is an example of
a series of barcodes selected from inventory.
Sorting
Click the column header to sort the column. For example, if you click the
Description column above will sort the table by the first letter of each persons
name.
Hint: If you notice that the first number of descriptions seem to be out of
alphabetical order, they probably have a space as the first character. Look
closely, if this is the case, delete the space and sort them again.
Special Hidden Character Preceding Barcode
Place any character in this box, one character only, i.e. T. When you print your
barcode labels the Label Maker program will automatically imbed a dash and the
character of your choice, i.e. T, in the barcode. The clear text of the barcode will
appear on the label without the dash and character. TCMax will automatically strip
the dash and character when you scan this barcode, and it will place the dash and
character in front of the employees name in the log entry. This allows you to know
automatically if the employee scanned a barcode or typed the barcode from the
keyboard. If you laser etch a barcode on your tools you may want to have them all
start with a T, and if you also have printed polyester labels you may want them to
begin with L. If the employee scans the tool itself then you get the T next to his
name. If the employee scans a label then you get a L next to his name. And if the
employee simply types the barcode number you get nothing extra next to his name.
This feature helps you track exactly how employees are issuing and turning in tools.

Warning Backup the Database Regularly

Please backup your database on a regular basis. Copy the TCS.mdb database file
to another computers hard drive, to a floppy drive, CD-R, CD-RW, or tape. Backup
often, at least once a week and preferably once every day.

72
Table of Label Definitions:

Title Avery / Avery 5520 Brother Dymo Employee Avery

Worth Weatherproof P2600 330 / Location 5167
5267 Return sheets on
for Address plain
tools paper
Number of 4 3 1 1 2 3
Columns
Number of 20 10 1 1 10 20
Rows
Left Margin .18 0 0 0 .2 .3
Top Margin .45 .55 0 0 .395 .46
Font Size 8 8 6 6 8 8
Barcode 1.75 2 2 1.5 2 2
Width
Landscape? N N Y Y N N
Distance .2 .4 .3 .3 .5 .25
from barcode
top to
description
top
Distance .302 .1 0 0 2.5 .8
between
columns
Label Width 1.75 2.625 2 1.5 2 2
Distance .3 .6 0 0 .75 .25
between
rows
Barcode .2 .4 .3 .3 .25 .25
Height

Brother P2600 note: You can save some serious tape by going into the driver and
setting the following; Right click on the Brother P2600 driver within Printers and
select Properties. Click the Printing Preferences button. Set the Width to the width
of your tape or you will get an error upon printing. We are using the 1/2" setting and
1/2" TZ tape. Set the Width to , Length to 2.5, Feed to 1/3. Orientation is
Landscape. Click the Option button. Un-check the Auto Cut button. Click OK to

73
close each of the windows and you are done. Remember that if you should change
the tape width you must come to this driver & change the tape width again.
Title Brother PT Brother PT Brother PT Zebra Zebra
9500PC 9500PC 9500PC TLP TLP
3844Z 3844Z
Tools Employee Tools
3/8 x 1.5
x2
inch inch inch tape
labels
tape tape
Number of 1 1 1 1 1
Columns
Number of 1 1 1 1 1
Rows
Left Margin 0 0 0 0 0
Top Margin 0 .1 .06 .1 emp .13
.15 tools
Font Size 6 4 3.5 6 5
Barcode Width 1.5 to 3 1.5 2 2 1.5
Landscape? Y Y Y N N
Distance from .2 .15 .06 .2 Emp .19
barcode top to .15 tools
description top
Distance 0 0 0 0 0
between
columns
Label Width 1.5 to 3 1.5 2 2 1.5
Distance 0 0 0 0 0
between rows
Barcode Height .18 .15 .07 .2 emp .18
.15 tools

Brother PT9500PC note: After installing the printer driver and connecting the
printer you must open Printers and right click on the Brother PT9500. Click on
Properties. Then click on the Printing Preferences button. Set the Width to the
width of your tape (TZS231 is inch extra sticky tape), length to 2 or 3 inches
depending on your longest barcode number. Click on the Option button and check
the Half Cut and the Chain Printing check boxes, then click OK 3 times to close all
of the printer windows. In the settings in the table above you can set the Tool Label
dimensions to 1.5 for most tools, and the Employee Label Dimensions to 3 inches

74
for 19 character employee numbers, 1.5 for 6 character employee numbers, as an
example. Set your Brother PT9500 tape length to the same dimension as Label
Width above.
Zebra TLP 3844-Z note: Install the latest Zebra driver on your PC. Install the
label material and ribbon provided by Soaring Software Solutions, Inc. Press and
HOLD the green button on the front of the printer until it FLASHES TWICE then let it
go. Be prepared to waste about 100 labels as it does its self test and alignment
process.
1. Click on Start> Printers and Faxes then right click on the Zebra
3844Z and left click on Properties.
2. Click the Printing Preferences button.
3. Expand the Paper/Output tab by clicking the plus symbol
4. Click Paper Size and click Customize
5. Select the top item, User Defined then change the Paper Sizes to
Width = 1.50 in, and Height = 0.44 in. These settings are mandatory
for our 3/8 x 1.5 inch label material
6. Click OK.
7. Expand the Device Options tab
8. Expand Head Settings and set Print Darkness to 25
9. Click OK to save all of these settings

75
Pocket PC version of TCMax (TCMaxMobile)

A pocket PC and the new version of TCMax called TCMaxMobile can be used in
lieu of a scanner to perform a multitude of tasks including:
Issue / Turn in of tools and other assets
Physical Inventories
Inventories and Special Inventories
Updating inspection dates of tools
Operation of the pocket pc and TCMaxMobile is similar to the PC version of TCMax
and it maintains the same preferences as TCMax. The screen above shows a tool
that has just been issued and has a calibration due date that is overdue, causing
the Calibration label to appear in the middle of the screen and also firing the
Overdue Calibration audio warning.
There are two other bold labels that can appear on the screen, Missing, and
Inspection. Missing appears when you issue a parent that has a child tool already
issued. Inspection appears when issuing a tool that has an overdue inspection, or
a child that has an overdue inspection.

Pocket PC Synchronization
You should perform these synchronization procedures before you take your Pocket
PC for TCMax use and every time that you return your Pocket PC to its docking
cradle after TCMax use.

76
Synchronization is a two step process.
1. Plug your Pocket PC into its docking station and wait for ActiveSync to
complete.
2. On TCMax on your PC, click Maintenance/Retrieve Pocket PC Data and
prepare for ActiveSync.
3. That is all there is to it!

After you use TCMaxMobile and have plugged the Pocket PC into the docking
station
Once the ActiveSync is completed (after plugging the Pocket PC into the docking
station), with the PC version of TCMax click on Maintenance/Retrieve Pocket PC
Data and Prepare for ActiveSync. TCMax will ask you if that is what you really want
to do. Click OK.
TCMax will then read all of the data in the mobile database and appropriately
update the PC database AND the mobile database. It always will clear out the LOG
table in the Pocket PC. This is to keep the database as small as possible, the
Pocket PC does not have an overabundance of memory.
Once this completes you are free to take the Pocket PC and issue tools in exactly
the same manner as you do on the PC.

77
TCMax Operation in the Pocket PC
General Operation

Logging In

The screen above shows the File menu clicked. Click on Log In / Out. A prompt
appears just below the Scanner Input box telling you to Enter Employee Number
above. Then enter your employee number (or scan your employee number). If you
manually enter the number, click the ENTER key located just above the ? on the
screens keyboard.
Next you are prompted to Enter Password above just below the Scanner Input
box. Scan or type your password, clicking the ENTER key.
If you have successfully logged in you will see your name followed by logged in
below the Scanner Input box.
Initialize menu option
Use this option any time that you change options from within TCMax such as the
number of characters that you recognize as an employee number or security
options. The Pocket PC never really shuts down a program, even if you X out of it,
the Pocket PC keeps the program running, to save time. Preferences are only
loaded when the program first starts. TCMaxMobile will not automatically look for
preference changes. So, if you change preferences on the PC, after
synchronization, click File / Initialize, and the new preferences will all be read into
the program. You do not have to be docked to use the Initialize menu option.

78
Show Issued Tools menu option
Click the Show Issued Tools menu option to display all of the tools that are currently
issued, who has them, where they went, when they were taken, and how many
were taken.

Click the OK button in the upper right corner to close this screen. Slide the slider on
the bottom to see all of the information. You can resize each column by clicking
and dragging the black bar between column headings.
Show Issued Tools of this Parent menu option
Clicking this option displays all tools currently issued to the parent on the main
screen OR the items issued to the parent of this item, if this item has a parent. This
option is very handy when performing routine inspections of things;
a. Issue the parent item that you plan to inspect various children items located
in the parent
b. If you are already in the Routine Daily Check mode then TCMaxMobile will
ask you if you want to issue its children, answer Yes
c. The parent is turned in, then you inspect and turn each child item.
d. When done you click the Show Issued Tools of this Parent menu option to
see the things that you missed, filtering out all other things that are currently
issued
Clearing the screen
With the PC version of TCMax you simply hit the ESC key to clear the screen. In
the Pocket PC version you click on the Edit button, then click the Clear Screen
option. The tool and employee will instantly be removed from the screen.

79
Update a Storage Location
Click Edit then Edit Storage Location on the menu at the bottom of the Pocket PC
screen. A message will appear at the top of the screen telling you to enter the new
storage location. You can do this with the input panel, followed by hitting the enter
key.

Mode of Operation
The Pocket PC version of TCMax operates in four different modes
1. Issue / Turn In
2. Physical Inventory
3. Inspection Update
4. Inventory
5. Receive Inventory
6. Routine Daily Check
You can switch to a different mode by clicking on the menu Mode = then click on
the appropriate mode of operation
Issue / Turn In mode
The issue / turn in mode is the default mode that works exactly like TCMax for the
PC. Scanning tools results in issuing or turning in tools.
Physical Inventory Mode
This works the like the Issue/Turn in mode except when scanning an item that has
the Issue Multiple and Multiple barcodes menu options checked. In this case
TCMax says Enter Quantity as it would in the issue/turn in mode. However, in the
issue/turn in mode it always prompts you with the number one (1) guessing that you
want one issued. In the Physical Inventory mode TCMax will prompt you with the
quantity of items that it expects you to find at that location, proceeded with a minus
symbol. For example, if you have four hoses, TCMax will ask you to Enter Quantity
and have -4 in the box. If all four are there you just hit enter. If one is missing then
you change the -4 to -3 and hit enter.
Performing the Physical Inventory
To perform your physical inventory scan the barcode of the
apparatus/trailer/room/building that you are inventorying. After a few seconds
TCMaxMobile says Issue. Any item that has children tools will give you an
additional audio prompt saying Yes to issue children? Click Yes. The children
issue process may take a few minutes, depending on the number of items in your
apparatus. Your parent item is automatically turned in and all child items are
issued.
Now, do your physical inventory of the parent item, scanning each child item after
you inspect it and find it serviceable. Each time you scan an item you hear Turn in

80
and the item is removed from the issued tools list. If you make a mistake and scan
something that really is not serviceable, simply scan it again. You will hear Issue
and the item is placed back on the issued tools list.
Certain items will give you the audio prompt Enter Quantity. This happens when
you have a single barcode that has more than one item assigned to it. It is VERY
IMPORTANT to know that to turn in these items and remove them from your list you
MUST enter a NEGATIVE number. Positive numbers issue tools, negative
numbers turn them in. So, if you have 10 couplers in a stack, and you find all 10,
enter -10. All ten will be removed from the list.
Continue this process until you have completed the inspection. When you finish
anything that was broken, missing, or you missed the item remains issued.
Everything that you scanned is turned in.
If you scan an item that does NOT belong in this parent item then rather than
hearing Turn In you hear Issue. This should prompt you that this item is listed as
having a different parent, or is shown in a different parent. You can simply click the
Edit Parent menu option and immediately change the Parent barcode number to the
number of the parent item that the item is currently in. This causes the database to
be updated. Now you will always know the current location of all child items (except
the ones moved in the last few minutes.)

When you issue a Parent

When you issue a parent TCMaxMobile checks for any children that have an
overdue calibration, inspection overdue, or tools that are still issued and therefore
missing and warns you with the appropriate red letters on the screen plus audio
warnings. To see which items caused the warning click on File/Show Overdue
Children. A screen appears showing you each overdue item.
To perform a physical inventory you click on File/Perform Inventory and then select
from Issue Children or Issue Children and Grand Children, depending on the depth
of your physical inventory.

81
Slide the slider on the bottom of the screen to the right and you can see the type of
inspection that failed and the number of missing tools.

Inspection Update
When you select this mode of operation, scanning a tool simply updates that tools
inspection due date.
Select this mode to quickly update any inspection requirements for any tool. When
a tool is scanned that has a valid inspection requirement the inspection date is
automatically updated to todays date plus the interval displayed for that inspection.
If there are multiple inspections assigned to this tool then the inspections table is
displayed. From there you can click on a single inspection and update it by clicking
on the Update Selected button, or you can update them all by clicking on the
Update All button. The computers speaker respond with Inspection updated.
Inventory, Receive Inventory
Scanning tools when in this mode puts todays date in the Inventory field. Inventory
reports are based upon this date. The reports are only available in the PC version
of TCMax.
It also updates the total quantity of this tool if either the No Turn In box or the
Multiple tools with the same barcode box is checked. If checked TCMaxMobile will
ask you to Enter Quantity. This value is used to update totals. With the No Turn In
box checked the quantity entered becomes the new value of the total in inventory.
If the Multiple tools with the same barcode box is checked then TCMax will add the
quantity entered plus the total number of this tool already issued and place the total
in the total quantity box.

82
The Receive Inventory mode allows you to automatically add the quantity received
to that already on hand. Scan a barcode, FireMAX says Enter Quantity. Enter the
quantity just received. The Pocket PC responds with Inventory. After the next
synchronization you will find that the quantity entered was added to that already in
stock.
Storage Location update
You can update the current location of any item easily. Once you have scanned the
tool barcode, the tool is displayed on the Pocket PC screen. Click on the menu
EDIT then click Edit Storage Location and you will be prompted to type in the new
storage location. Synchronization will cause this to be updated in the PC.
There are four reports in the PC version of TCMax that can give you a list of
everything that either has been inventoried or everything that has not been
inventoried in any given period.

New Employees and New Tools

As with TCMax, the pocket pc version requires you to have permission before you
can add new employees or new tools.
The screen size of the pocket pc is very limited. For this reason we limit the amount
of information that you must enter for any new tool to barcode, tool name, part
number, and storage location.
When you enter an unknown employee number or tool number you will hear the
New Tool or New Employee audio prompt and the screen will show a message
box asking you if you want to add this new tool or employee. Click Yes to start the
process. Watch the prompt located just below the text input box. This prompt will
tell you what you need to enter next. Once entered you can enter the employee or
tool number again to continue your tool issue process.
When a new tool is entered you will be prompted to enter the name/description of
the tool, part number, storage location, quantity on hand, parent barcode number,
and whether it is expendable or not.

83
Editing Locations, Inspections, Calibrations, and Parent barcode numbers

You can edit storage locations, inspection dates, add new inspections, calibration
due date, and parent barcode numbers by clicking Edit and the appropriate menu
item. This allows you to edit the information for the current tool. Use this when you
move something from one parent location to another.

Re-starting TCMaxMobile after a preferences change

Whenever you make any change to the Preferences area of TCMax you must shut
down TCMaxMobile in your pocket pc or the changes in TCMax will not take effect
and you will probably experience strange operation of TCMaxMobile.

Installing a TCMaxMobile Update

Run the TCMaxMobileInstall.exe program that you have on your new CD or that
you have downloaded from our web site.
Run the TCMaxMobile.exe. This installer places six files on your Pocket PC. If this
is a re-installation then you only have to run TCMaxMobile_PPC.ARM.CAB
program. When executed it will install files necessary to update TCMaxMobile.
1) The installer will ask if you want to Install SSS TCMax Mobile using the default
application install folder? Answer Yes.
2) All of the following instructions are performed from within your Pocket PC. You
can remove it from its cradle if necessary
a) Click on the Windows Flag in the upper left corner then click Programs
b) Click on the File Explorer icon
c) Navigate to the Program Files folder

84
 i) To do that on a new Pocket PC click on My Documents, then My Device,
then Program Files
d) In the Program Files folder, click on the file titled
TCMaxMobile_PPC.ARM.CAB. It will install the actual TCMaxMobile
programs and wave files. It will also place a TCMaxMobile icon on your
programs list. This file will delete itself and disappear when finished.

Having trouble with the Pocket PC?

Windows Mobile for the Pocket PC is reliable and fairly stable but there are times
when the pocket pc locks up, or synchronization just doesnt seem to work. This
happens far more often in the Pocket PC then it does on regular PCs running
modern Windows.
ActiveSync doesnt sync or takes longer than ten minutes
If ActiveSync give you an error, remove your pocket pc from its docking station, wait
15 seconds, then place it in the docking station again. This usually fixes ActiveSync
problems.
If ActiveSync starts and ten minutes later it is still syncing and usually it only
takes a few minutes, then do as above, unplug your pocket pc, wait 15 seconds,
then plug it back in.
Pocket PC is locked up and nothing runs
If your pocket pc locks up all you need to do is use the stylus and press the reset
button performing a Soft Reset. On an iPAQ it is on the bottom of the unit. A soft
reset simply stops all running programs. If you have a pocket pc that uses a Socket
Scanner you must re-start Socket Scan first, see page 14 item b.
1) Click on the Windows Flag logo
2) Click on Programs
3) Click on Socket Scan
That enables your scanner. You should not have to re-program your buttons. Next
you re-start TCMaxMobile
1) Click on the Windows Flag logo
2) Click on Programs
3) Click on TCMaxMobile

85
 1. Sample Labels
Tool Labels
These labels are actual size, designed to fit the Avery 5267 x 1 return
address label. The actual printed label is much sharper than this scanned image.

Employee Labels
These labels are designed to print on plain paper. You can enter your employee
numbers and names in the label maker. When running the tool control software,
rather than typing the employee number in the computer, simply scan your
employee name.

86
Sample Reports

Tools Issued to Specific Employee for Packing List for Mobility

Tool Transfer Report

87
Tool Inventory

88
Issue History Tools issued to a particular location

Issue History where has this tool been?

89
TMDE Report (tools with calibration date)

Inspection Report

Tools Issued to Employee (Ctrl-P from main screen)

90
Tools Issued to a specific location

Expendable Items Reorder Report

91
Importing Tool Information from your Excel Spreadsheets
To import Excel data into your TCMax database requires two tools, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Access, plus a little experience
with both programs. The following set of instructions will walk you through one example of importing a spreadsheet. The exact
steps will be different for your spreadsheets but the goal is the same.
1. Open your spreadsheet using Excel. Open the TCMax database TCS.mdb with Microsoft Access. A password is required,
contact us if you dont know the password.
2. Compare the column headings in your spreadsheet with the field names in Access. At a minimum look for a Description column.
In the sample below you will find part number, description, make/model, remarks, and quantity on hand. This example also
shows blank lines of data that we will eliminate from within Access.
DRAWER# PART#/NSN DESCRIPTION MAKE/MODEL REMARKS QA QOH
14PC. METRIC ALLEN WRENCH
00-1 5120-01-465-5079 SET CHESCO PRODUCTS 1 1
00-1 5110-00-449-7313 8PC. GASKET HOLE PUNCH SET DURSTON MFG 1 1
00-1 5120-P1436 HUB REMOVER HOMEMADE 1 1
00-1 5130-00-596-8404 ELECTRIC ENGRAVER RED HANDLE 3 3
00-1 4910-P63721 MANUEL TACHOMETER STUWARD-WARNER 1 1
00-1 1140 6PC. IMPACT DRIVER SET NAPA / K-D TOOLS 1 1
00-1 7127-B OIL PUMP SEAL REPLACER OTC 1 1

00-1 PKD2030 BRAKE GUAGE K-D MFG 1 1

CRANKSHAFT PULLEY
00-1 7127-A WRENCH OTC 1 1
SMALL BEARING/SEAL PULLER
00-1 KD2824 2PC SNAP-ON 2 2
00-2 KD2288 GREASE CAP PLIERS SNAP-ON 1 1
3. Open the STOCK table in access (see below).

92
You will see something like the following when opened

Note,
the Description actually goes in a field titled NAME. The drawer or shelf that the tools goes on goes in the field titled STORAGE.
The part number goes in a field titled PART_NUMBER. The quantity goes in a field titled QTY. A special field is the
SHOP_CODE field that MUST contain the word Default or the shop code that you placed in the Preferences area of TCMax. The
BARCODEID and PARENT_BARCODEID fields probably will not already be in your spreadsheet. We will re-name the headings in
your spreadsheet and add the BARCODEID and PARENT_BARCODEID fields next. Re-naming the headings just makes life a little
easier once we import the information into Excel.
4. Re-name the headings in your spreadsheet to match those in Access. Add three new fields at the top for the barcode numbers
and shop code.
93
STORAGE PART_NUMBER NAME MANUFACTURER NOTES_ QTY QA BARCODEID PARENT_BARCODEID SHOP_CODE
5120-01-465- 14PC. METRIC ALLEN CHESCO
00-1 5079 WRENCH SET PRODUCTS 1 1
5110-00-449- 8PC. GASKET HOLE
00-1 7313 PUNCH SET DURSTON MFG 1 1
00-1 5120-P1436 HUB REMOVER HOMEMADE 1 1
5130-00-596-
00-1 8404 ELECTRIC ENGRAVER RED HANDLE 110V 3 3
STUWARD-
00-1 4910-P63721 MANUEL TACHOMETER WARNER 1 1
NAPA / K-D
00-1 1140 6PC. IMPACT DRIVER SET TOOLS 1 1
OIL PUMP SEAL
00-1 7127-B REPLACER OTC 1 1

00-1 PKD2030 BRAKE GUAGE K-D MFG 1 1

CRANKSHAFT PULLEY
00-1 7127-A WRENCH OTC 1 1
SMALL BEARING/SEAL
00-1 KD2824 PULLER 2PC SNAP-ON 2 2
00-2 KD2288 GREASE CAP PLIERS SNAP-ON 1 1
5. Put the first available Barcode number in the first BARCODEID column. Make sure that your barcode number ends in something
numeric. Put your shop code or the word Default in the first SHOP_CODE column. If these items have a Parent, if they
belong in a tool box for example, put the barcode number of the Parent in the PARENT_BARCODEID column. In this case all of
the tools belong to the same tool box. In the second row of the PARENT_BARCODEID column put the same Parent barcode
number, you will see why later. See the example below.

94
STORAGE PART_NUMBER NAME MANUFACTURER NOTES_ QTY QA BARCODEID PARENT_BARCODEID SHOP_CODE
5120-01-465- 14PC. METRIC ALLEN CHESCO J7EC12001 J7EC12000 Default
00-1 5079 WRENCH SET PRODUCTS 1 1
5110-00-449- 8PC. GASKET HOLE J7EC12000
00-1 7313 PUNCH SET DURSTON MFG 1 1
00-1 5120-P1436 HUB REMOVER HOMEMADE 1 1
5130-00-596-
00-1 8404 ELECTRIC ENGRAVER RED HANDLE 110V 3 3
STUWARD-
00-1 4910-P63721 MANUEL TACHOMETER WARNER 1 1
NAPA / K-D
00-1 1140 6PC. IMPACT DRIVER SET TOOLS 1 1
OIL PUMP SEAL
00-1 7127-B REPLACER OTC 1 1

00-1 PKD2030 BRAKE GUAGE K-D MFG 1 1

CRANKSHAFT PULLEY
00-1 7127-A WRENCH OTC 1 1
SMALL BEARING/SEAL
00-1 KD2824 PULLER 2PC SNAP-ON 2 2
00-2 KD2288 GREASE CAP PLIERS SNAP-ON 1 1
6. Now click in the first BARCODEID cell with a barcode number. Notice the small box that appears in the lower right corner of the
cell. Click and DRAG the box down to the bottom of the spreadsheet. Excel will automatically fill each of the cells with the NEXT
barcode number!
7. Click in the SHOP_CODE cell with the first entry (Default). Click in the small box in the lower right corner and drag it down. It
will fill each of the cells with the word Default.
8. Highlight the two top cells in the PARENT_BARCODEID column. In this case we dont want Excel to automatically increment the
PARENT_BARCODEID column. With both cells highlighted, click on the small box in the lower right corner and drag it down the
page. You will see that Excel will copy but NOT increment these values.
9. You can also import COST_, and other values. Just compare your spreadsheet to the fields available in the database and make
the heading changes accordingly in your Excel spreadsheet.

95
STORAGE PART_NUMBER NAME MANUFACTURER NOTES_ QTY QA BARCODEID PARENT_BARCODEID SHOP_CODE
5120-01-465- 14PC. METRIC ALLEN CHESCO J7EC12001 J7EC12000 Default
00-1 5079 WRENCH SET PRODUCTS 1 1
5110-00-449- 8PC. GASKET HOLE J7EC12002 J7EC12000 Default
00-1 7313 PUNCH SET DURSTON MFG 1 1
00-1 5120-P1436 HUB REMOVER HOMEMADE 1 1 J7EC12003 J7EC12000 Default
5130-00-596- J7EC12004 J7EC12000 Default
00-1 8404 ELECTRIC ENGRAVER RED HANDLE 110V 3 3
STUWARD- J7EC12005 J7EC12000 Default
00-1 4910-P63721 MANUEL TACHOMETER WARNER 1 1
NAPA / K-D J7EC12006 J7EC12000 Default
00-1 1140 6PC. IMPACT DRIVER SET TOOLS 1 1
OIL PUMP SEAL J7EC12007 J7EC12000 Default
00-1 7127-B REPLACER OTC 1 1
J7EC12008 J7EC12000 Default
00-1 PKD2030 BRAKE GUAGE K-D MFG 1 1 J7EC12009 J7EC12000 Default
CRANKSHAFT PULLEY J7EC12010 J7EC12000 Default
00-1 7127-A WRENCH OTC 1 1
SMALL BEARING/SEAL J7EC12011 J7EC12000 Default
00-1 KD2824 PULLER 2PC SNAP-ON 2 2
00-2 KD2288 GREASE CAP PLIERS SNAP-ON 1 1 J7EC12012 J7EC12000 Default
10. Save your spreadsheet.
11. With Access and the TCS.mdb database running do the following to import the Excel spreadsheet
12. Click on File/Get External Data/Import

13. At the bottom of the file selection screen change Files of type to Microsoft Excel. Then navigate to wherever you saved your
spreadsheet. Double click on the spreadsheet, or click on it and click Import.
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14. A list of worksheets comes up, select the appropriate worksheet and click Next.

15. Check the box that says First Row Contains Column Headings (If you have column headings in your spreadsheet. If you dont,
start over because this is much easier if you put the proper Field names as column headings at the top of your spreadsheet.
Click Next

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16. You will be storing this data in a new table so simply click next.

17. The next screen allows you to change field names. If you renamed them as suggested earlier simply click Next.
18. The next screen below asks you if you want to add a Primary Key. Click the No primary key option box and click Next.

19. This last screen below, you can give a name to the new table that you are creating, or simply use the default that they suggest.
Click the Finish button.

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20. In our example we left the table named Sheet1. Then next screen displays the list of tables in the Access database, now with
the new table titled Sheet1. You can double click on it if you like to view the data. Before copying the data from this new table
into the STOCK table, be sure to review it.

21. Now we will create a QUERY that will copy the data from this table into your STOCK table. Click on the Queries button on the left
of the Access screen and you will see the following.

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22. Click on New and click OK to the Design View. You get the following screen

23. Click on your new table name click the Add button.
24. At the top of the Access screen click on the menu option Query, and click on Append Query (as seen below). Access will ask you
what table to append to, select the STOCK table and click OK

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25. Now, (as seen below) in the upper part of the screen where you see the Sheet1 list of fields, double click on each field, one at a
time. They will appear in the grid below. If you took the time to properly name the columns, matching their names to the field
names in Access then this wizard will automatically select the proper Append To: row.

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When you finish you will see something like the screen above. Click the exclamation mark (!) at the top of the screen. That will copy
the data from your table to the STOCK table and report to you the number of rows about to be appended. Click OK to copy the rows.
26. Close and dont save this Query, you will not use it again.
27. Your data is now in the STOCK table and TCMax should be ready to print labels or issue these tools.

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